Most Popular Books by Thornton Wilder

In "The Bridge of San Luis Rey," Thornton Wilder masterfully weaves a poignant narrative that explores the fragility of human existence and the intricate web of fate. Set in 18th-century Peru, the novel recounts the tragic collapse of an Inca bridge and its impact on five seemingly unconnected lives. Wilder employs a blend of lyrical prose and philosophical introspection, inviting readers to ponder the deeper meanings behind love, loss, and the quest for significance. The book is celebrated for its modernist style and its exploration of existential themes, reflecting a time when literature began to delve into the psychological complexities of character and the randomness of fate. Wilder, an acclaimed American playwright and novelist, drew inspiration from his fascination with the human condition and the nature of tragedy. His experiences traveling in South America, coupled with a profound understanding of drama, fostered his ability to craft multi-dimensional characters facing existential dilemmas. Drawing from personal loss and a keen observation of society, Wilder encapsulated the spirit of his era while exploring timeless questions of purpose and meaning. This novel is a compelling exploration of fate and the human experience, making it an essential read for those who appreciate philosophical literature. Wilder''s profound insights and evocative narrative style beckon readers to reflect on their own lives and the interconnectedness of human experiences, cementing this work as a classic of American literature.

"An Eternal Family narrowly escape one disaster after another, from ancient times to the present. Meet George and Maggie Antrobus (married only 5,000 years); their two children, Gladys and Henry (perfect in every way!); and their maid, Sabina (the ageless vamp) as they overcome ice, flood, and war -- by the skin of their teeth."--Amazon

“Thornton Wilder will survive. . . as long as there are people around who are willing to sit in something called a theater and be reminded of their common humanity.” —New York Times From celebrated Pulitzer Prize-winning author and playwright Thornton Wilder, three of the greatest plays in American literature together in one volume: Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Matchmaker. This essential compendium includes a preface by the author, as well as a foreword by playwright John Guare. Our Town, Wilder''s timeless Pulitzer Prize-winning classic about love, death, and destiny, opened on Broadway in 1938 and continues to be celebrated and performed on stages all around the world. The Skin of our Teeth, Wilder''s brilliant and enduring romp about human follies and human endurance starring the Antrobus family of Excelsior, New Jersey, earned Wilder his third Pulitzer Prize in 1943. The Matchmaker, a dazzling farce about money and love, stars the irrepressible busybody Dolly Gallagher Levi, who leads young and old on an adventure that changes their lives. It was later adapted into the famed musical Hello, Dolly!

Drawing on such unique sources as the author''s unpublished letters, business records, and obscure family recollections, Tappan Wilder''s Afterword adds a special dimension to the reissue of this hilarious tale about goodness in a fallen world. Meet George Marvin Brush—Don Quixote come to Main Street in the Great Depression, and one of Thornton Wilder''s most memorable characters. George Brush, a traveling textbook salesman, is a fervent religious convert who is determined to lead a good life. With sad and sometimes hilarious consequences, his travels take him through smoking cars, bawdy houses, banks, and campgrounds from Texas to Illinois—and into the soul of America itself.

Volume One of the collected short plays by one of the greatest American playwrights of the Twentieth Century.

"An extremely entertaining array of American life in a bygone era." --The New Yorker The last of Thornton Wilder''s works published during his lifetime, Theophilus North is part autobiographical and part the imagined adventure of his twin brother who died at birth. Setting out to see the world in the summer of 1926, Theophilus North gets as far as Newport, Rhode Island, before his car breaks down. To support himself, Theophilus takes jobs in the elegant mansions along Ocean Drive, just as Wilder himself did in the same decade. Soon the young man finds himself playing the roles of tutor, spy, confidant, lover, friend, and enemy as he becomes entangled in the intrigues of both upstairs and downstairs in a glittering society dominated by leisure. Narrated by the elderly North from a distance of fifty years, Theophilus North is a fascinating commentary on youth and education from the vantage point of age, and deftly displays Wilder''s trademark wit juxtaposed with his lively and timeless ruminations on what really matters about life, love, and work at the end of the day—even after a visit to Newport.

Over the years the family of the escaped murderer finds itself drawn inexorably closer to the victim''s family.

"This play is a rewritten version of the play "The merchant of Yonkers" which was directed in 1938 ..."--P. [4].

Thornton Wilder Comedy Characters: 2 male, 3 female In this provocative, sometimes chilling comedy, Wilder renders a child''s-eye view of the grown-up world, as a father, a mother and their three children play a revealing game of make-believe in which the children pretend to be orphans. Startling truths emerge on both sides, as pretense challenges the family to discard the traditional roles of parent, spouse, child, and sibling--blurring the lines between perception and rea

Our town -- The skin of our teeth -- The matchmaker -- The Alcestiad -- The drunken sisters -- The marriage we deplore -- The unerring instinct -- Scenes from The emporium -- Plays for Bleecker Street -- The seven ages of man -- Writings on theater.

Letters trace the friendship between Stein and Wilder from late 1934 until Stein''s death in 1946

Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and for the plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth — and a U.S. National Book Award for the novel The Eighth Day. Contents: The Cabala The Bridge of San Luis Rey

“Mr. Wilder has brought to his character the warmth which was totally lacking in the Caesar of schoolbooks and Shakespeare, and in his hero’s destruction there is the true catharsis.” —Edward Weeks, Atlantic First published in 1948, The Ides of March is a brilliant epistolary novel of the Rome of Julius Caesar. Through imaginary letters and documents, Wilder brings to life a dramatic period of world history and one of its magnetic personalities. In this novel, the Caesar of history becomes Caesar the human being as he appeared to his family, his legions, his Rome, and his empire in the months just before his death. In Wilder’s inventive narrative, all Rome comes crowding through his pages. Romans of the slums, of the villas, of the palaces, brawling youths and noble ladies and prostitutes, and the spies and assassins stalking Caesar in his Rome.

“[Our Town] leaves us with a sense of blessing, and the unspoken but palpable command to achieve gratitude in what remains of our days on earth.”— New Yorker Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of life in the mythical village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire—an allegorical representation of all life—is an American classic. It is the simple story of a love affair that asks timeless questions about the meaning of love, life, and death. Our Town explores the relationship between two young neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, and then culminates in marriage. When Emily loses her life in childbirth, the circle of life portrayed in each of the three acts—childhood, adulthood, and death—is fully realized. Often considered one of the greatest American plays of all time, Our Town is also Wilder''s most frequently staged play. It debuted on Broadway in 1938 and continues to be performed daily on stages all around the world.

Thornton Wilder, author of such landmark works for the stage as Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth as well as the classic novel The Bridges of San Luis Rey is considered one of America''s greatest man of letters. This two volume publication collects the complete short works for the stage, including a never-before-published one act play.

Spanning his entire life, The Selected Letters of Thornton Wilder is a comprehensive and fascinating collection of the great American writer''s correspondence. The author of such classics as Our Town and The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder was a born storyteller and dramatist--rare talents on glorious display in this volume of more than three hundred letters he penned to a vast array of famous friends and beloved relatives. Through Wilder''s correspondence, readers can eavesdrop on his conversations with Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Noël Coward, Gene Tunney, Laurence Olivier, Aaron Copland, Paul Hindemith, Leonard Bernstein, Edward Albee, and Mia Farrow. Equally absorbing are Wilder''s intimate letters to his family. Wilder tells of roller-skating with Walt Disney, remembers an inaugural reception for FDR at the White House, describes his life as a soldier in two World Wars, and recalls dining out with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. In these pages, Thornton Wilder speaks for himself in his own unique, enduring voice--informing, encouraging, instructing, and entertaining with his characteristic wit, heart, and exuberance.

"The Cabala" by way of Thornton Wilder, is a singular that delves into the complexities of human relationships and the search for which means in lifestyles. Wilder, an American playwright and novelist, is pleasant acknowledged for his acclaimed works together with "Our Town" and "The Bridge of San Luis Rey." Set in Rome, the unconventional follows the reviews of Samuele, a younger American painter, who turns into entangled inside the lives of a collection of eccentric and influential characters. The narrative unfolds via a sequence of interconnected memories, exploring topics of love, friendship, artwork, and the search for non-secular achievement. Wilder''s "The Cabala" is widely known for its intricate man or woman development and its portrayal of the bohemian lifestyle of the put up-World War I technology. The term "Cabala" refers to a paranormal and esoteric lifestyle, and Wilder weaves elements of thriller and introspection all through the novel, inviting readers to ponder the deeper dimensions of existence. Through colourful and evocative prose, Wilder crafts a narrative that transcends the boundaries of time and area, supplying a meditation on the human circumstance. "The Cabala" stands as a testament to Thornton Wilder''s literary versatility and his exploration of profound philosophical and existential questions.

The publication of volume two of this landmark collection celebrates the close of the centennial year of Thornton Wilder''s birth. This volume collects 17 plays from the author''s three-minute and five-minute plays for five actors series and includes the full-length play The Alcestiad, a major work by the author of Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth which has long been unavailable.

Finding the theatre of the 1920s lacking in bite and conviction, Thornton Wilder set out to bring back realism and to celebrate the innocent, simple and religious. Yet he also tried to endow individual experience with cosmic significance and Our Town is both an affectionate portrait of American life and ''an attempt to find a value above all price for the smallest events in our daily life''. The Skin of our Teeth deals with human survival in a ''comic strip'' way, and The Matchmaker is a hilarious farce which urges rebellion against all the constraints that deny a rich, full life.

From the play by George Farquhar Comedy Characters: 8 male 5female with doubling Various Locations The play tells the story of two young bucks who having spent all their money by living too well leave London and roam from town to town in search of love and fortune. In order to find a wealthy heiress for at least one of them they pose as master and servant - exchanging roles from one town to the next. In Lichfield Aimwell is the master and Archer the servant and there they m

The Bridge of San Luis Rey is set in 18th-century Peru and begins with the collapse of an ancient Inca bridge, sending five people to their deaths. The novel follows Brother Juniper, a Franciscan friar who witnesses the tragedy and embarks on a quest to understand the lives of the victims, hoping to prove God''s divine plan through their stories. The narrative explores the lives of the five individuals, including a noblewoman longing for her daughter''s love, twin brothers grappling with loss, and an aging actress trying to reclaim her former glory. Through this exploration, Wilder delves into themes of fate, love, and the human condition, ultimately questioning the nature of destiny and the search for meaning in life. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1928 and became the best-selling work of fiction that year. The novel explores profound themes of fate, divine providence, and the search for meaning in human lives, raising the question of whether there is a larger direction beyond individual will. Its enduring relevance led to its inclusion in Time magazine''s list of the 100 Best English-language Novels, cementing its place in literary history. This case laminate collector''s edition includes a Victorian-inspired dust jacket.

The Drunken Sisters is Wilder''s satyr play that followed The Alcestiad his adaptation of the ancient Greek "Alcestis" story. Apollo ventures into the land of the three sisters of Fate who control the threads of each man''s life and here in disguise he tricks the sisters into releasing their death hold on King Admetus. His trick: 3 flagons of wine which he declares to be Aphrodite''s beauty drink but which make the sisters drunk. He then foils them with a riddle releasing the king

Millie the nursemaid brings baby Tommy to Central Park in the hopes of a rendezvous with the handsome Patrolman Avonzino. Mrs. Boker soon arrives with baby Moe, and as the two ladies trade snacks and advice on child rearing, the infants compare notes on their parents'' bad behavior and pitiful lack of understanding. Babies act like grown-ups and grown-ups act like babies in this comedy about fulfilling basic human needs.

This play is thought to represent middle-age, in Wilder''s unfinished cycle of The Ages of Man. On a point of land jutting into a lake in southern Wisconsin, the Carter family enjoys a summer''s eve. It''s an evening like many others: Nothing happens and everything happens. Each member of the family - sixteen year-old Tom, his seventeen-year-old sister Francesca and their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carter - shares different memories somehow connected with their surroundings. These memories color the mo