A Little Life

'I promise you more patience, more gratitude. I promise you less vanity, less selfishness, less complaining, less fear. I promise you. You just have to survive.'

A Little Life follows the complex relationships of four college friends in New York City: Willem, an actor; Malcolm, an architect; JB, an artist; and, at the centre of their group, Jude, a lawyer.

Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, changed by ambition, addiction and pride. Yet their greatest challenge is Jude himself, whose secrets – and shame – define not just his own life, but that of his friends as well.

A bruising and beautiful story of love, the limits of human endurance, and the tyranny of memory, Hanya Yanagihara's novel A Little Life has sold over a million copies and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Women's Prize for Fiction.

The stage adaptation – conceived by Ivo van Hove, and adapted by Koen Tachelet, van Hove and Yanagihara herself – was first performed in a Dutch-language production at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2018, before transferring to New York in 2022. This English-language version opened in London's West End in 2023, directed by Ivo van Hove and with a cast led by James Norton as Jude.

'A masterpiece of modern theatre... a triumph of emotional richness and devastation' — Telegraph

'Utterly compelling' — Daily Express

'A superb piece of theatre, staged with consummate skill' — Evening Standard

'Close to Greek tragedy… a production of cool temperature, handling atrocity with clinical precision, and moments of grace with an economical elegance… leaves its mark like a livid, tender bruise on the imagination' — The Stage

'Unrelenting but magnificent… in the interstices of horror and abuse, there are transcendental moments of love and affection' — iNews

'Keeps a grip so tight that it is impossible to turn away' — WhatsOnStage

'Compelling viewing… such an emotional and affecting piece of theatre' — Gay Times

'A masterpiece of modern theatre... a triumph of emotional richness and devastation'

'Utterly compelling'

'A superb piece of theatre, staged with consummate skill'

'Close to Greek tragedy… a production of cool temperature, handling atrocity with clinical precision, and moments of grace with an economical elegance… leaves its mark like a livid, tender bruise on the imagination'

'Unrelenting but magnificent… in the interstices of horror and abuse, there are transcendental moments of love and affection'

'Keeps a grip so tight that it is impossible to turn away'

'Compelling viewing… such an emotional and affecting piece of theatre'

'Sophisticated and searing... an almost anthropological study of pain, staged with the utmost intelligence'

'A deftly crafted adaptation, beautifully staged'

Hanya Yanagihara is an American novelist, editor, and travel writer. Her books include the bestselling novel A Little Life (2015), which was shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize.Koen Tachelet is a dramaturg and writer who has worked internationally, notably with Ivo van Hove.Ivo van Hove is an award-winning theatre director who has served as the General Director of the prestigious Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (formerly Toneelgroep Amsterdam) since 2001. His acclaimed productions, including A View From the Bridge, Network and All About Eve, have earned him many international accolades, including a Tony Award, an Olivier Award and two Obie Awards.Hanya Yanagihara is an American novelist, editor, and travel writer. Her books include the bestselling novel A Little Life (2015), which was shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize.

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