Vladimir, a novel by Playwriting alum Julia May Jonas '12, has recently been adapted into a Netflix limited series. Vladimir is narrated by an unnamed English professor and follows her deteriorating relationship with her husband, who is under investigation at the same liberal arts college where she works for inappropriate relationships with students. The narrator must navigate her husband’s scandal while also navigating her growing obsession with her new colleague, a young novelist named Vladimir.
In a 2022 interview with Publishers Weekly, Jones claimed that “The book for me was a big question about desire inside of this woman, and her being torn about what she wants and what she's allowed to want and can choose to want and how she is supposed to react to desire.”
In the Netflix adaptation, Rachel Weisz stars as the unnamed narrator, Leo Woodall stars as Vladimir, John Slattery as John, the protagonist’s husband, and Jessica Henwich as Cynthia, Vladimir’s wife.
The Guardian calls Weisz’s performance “unswervingly brilliant” and claims the show proves, “We contain multitudes, and nothing is black or white.”
Jonas joined the writers room for the adaptation, writing four of the eight episodes herself.
Julia May Jonas is a writer and theater maker. Recent plays include Your Own Personal Exegesis, Problems Between Sisters, and A Woman Among Women. Her second novel, Diana, is forthcoming from Avid Reader Press. She has taught at Skidmore College and New York University and lives in Brooklyn with her family.
