Best Selling Books by Thornton Wilder

"Each of the novels is a special achievement, different in its own fashion from any other novels written at the time, or since. The Woman of Andros is a Greek pastoral as beautifully handled as the figures on a Greek vase. It contrasts with The Bridge of San Luis Rey, which is a fable (perhaps more Buddhist than Christian in its feeling), as much as with The Cabala, which is an album of boldly depicted characters. All three novels, different as they are from one another, have something in common besides their economy of statement and their felicity of style. Perhaps it is the quality that was praised by Henry James in his little book on Hawthorne. There he said, speaking of The Scarlet Letter, ''It has about it that charm, very hard to express, which we find in an artist''s work the first time he has touched his highest mark--a sort of straightness and naturalness of execution, and unconsciousness of his public, and freshness of interest in his theme.'' These books have that quality too, and they ask to be reread."--From back cover.

Our Town (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by Thornton Wilder Making the reading experience fun! Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster. Geared to what today''s students need to know, SparkNotes provide: *Chapter-by-chapter analysis *Explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols *A review quiz and essay topics Lively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers

Ninety years of Christmas dinners at the Bayard home.

The Alcestiad by Thornton Wilder tells the story of Admetus, King of Thessaly (rich in horses), his wife Alcestis, and the triumphs and tragedies they endure as favorites of the god Apollo. Every major event in their marriage is a direct result of the interference of Apollo, though this is not made clear in The Alcestiad. Rather, the extent of Apollo’s involvement is made clear in the accompanying satyr play, The Drunken Sisters. --readingandruminations.wordpress.com.

In his Foreword to The Angel That Troubled the Waters and Other Plays, published in 1928, Wilder explained that almost all the playlets in the book are religious, "but religious in that dilute fashion that is a believer''s concession to a contemporary standard of good manners." He wanted to explore religious themes and questions without being preachy, or didactic ... In fact, it was often his intention in such playlets as this one to stand the biblical story on its head -to shake up the language, as it were. He also said--about his plays dealing with religious themes and stories--that in "these matters beyond logic, beauty is the only persuasion."--Www.throntonwilder.com.

This one-act comedy, set in a Pullman car on a train traveling from New York to Chicago in December, 1930, introduces techniques Wilder would use in future three-act plays. Pullman Car takes us on a metaphorical journey by train through the American landscape, a diverse band of travelers encapsulated in a Pullman car hurtle through time, space and a range of emotions.5 women, 12 men

"A father, mother and two of their three surviving children drive from Newark, New Jersey, to Camden to visit their married daughter, who has recently lost her baby in childbirth. Their journey is punctuated by talk, laughter, memories (some mundane, some happy, some painful), and appreciation of the Now - ham and eggs, flowers, family, sunsets and the joy of being alive. In this family drama, nothing much happens-and yet everything important happens. As Ma Kirby says, "There''s nothin'' like bein'' liked by your family." - Publisher''s website.

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) es uno de los escritores más importantes e influyentes del siglo xx. Profesor en las universidades de Harvard y Chicago, en toda su obra se refleja su cosmopolitismo, una amplia y sólida formación humanística y unas extraordinarias dotes de observación de la vida cotidiana. Su primera novela, La Cábala (1926) obtuvo ya un notable éxito de crítica, pero fue El puente de San Luis Rey (1927), por la que obtuvo su primer Premio Pulitzer, la que le situó en primera línea de las letras en lengua inglesa. Sin embargo, fueron sus obras teatrales, y en particular Nuestro Pueblo (Premio Pulitzer 1938 y llevada al cine en 1940 por Sam Wood), La Casamentera (llevada también al cine, por Joseph Anthony, con Shiley MacLaine y Anthony Perkins) y La piel de nuestros dientes (Premio Pulitzer 1943), así como la novela histórica Los idus de marzo (1948), las que le convirtieron en una celebridad.

El proposito de THORNTON WILDER al concebir LOS IDUS DE MARZO no fue construir una novela historica o una biografia novelada, sino escribir un relato alegorico que combinara la autonomia literaria con una reflexion acerca de la condicion humana.

El dia 20 de juliol de 1714, va cedir i es va ensorrar un vell pont inca, penjat sobre un congost impressionant en el camí que sortia de Lima per anar a Cuzco. L''ensulsiada va precipitar a l''abisme les cinc persones que llavors el creuaven