Thornton Wilder

Described by Edward Albee as "the greatest American play ever written," Our Town follows the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry and eventually - in one of the most famous scenes in American theatre - die. Narrated by a stage manager and performed with minimal props and sets, Our Town depicts the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, through three acts: "Daily Life," "Love and Marriage" and "Death and Eternity."In this new bilingual edition, Emily and the Webb family speak Spanish at home and English with their neighbors, some of whom also speak Spanish. The Stage Manager, the Gibbs family, and most other characters speak English only. The play's stage directions are written in English, and an English translation is provided for all dialogue in Spanish.Infused with layers of culture and community, this new bilingual version of Our Town celebrates Grover's Corners as an international address.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning, fable-like short novel--by the author of Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth--has been beloved around the world for nearly a century. This splendid and profoundly moving novel begins with a simple and seemingly senseless tragedy. On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below. A traveling monk, Brother Juniper, witnesses the catastrophe and becomes obsessed with investigating the lives of the five victims in order to prove that their deaths had meaning. His mission is doomed to fail, but over the course of the story, the five unlucky individuals--a noblewoman, a maid, an orphan, an old man, and a child--come to life for the reader in all of their glorious complexity. Their intertwined lives--snuffed out in one shattering moment--illuminate the biggest questions that we can ask ourselves about the nature of love and meaning of the human condition.

First published in 1927 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" is the moving story of a tragic accident and its aftermath by American author Thornton Wilder. The novel tells the fictional story of the victims of a horrific collapse of an Incan rope bridge in Peru and how they came to be on the bridge on that fateful day. Set in the early 18th century, the novel begins with a description of the bridge's collapse, which claimed the lives of all five people who were crossing it, by the tragedy's sole witness: a Franciscan friar, Brother Juniper, who was almost crossing the bridge himself when it collapsed. Brother Juniper wishes to make sense of the day's events and hopes to understand how the tragedy relates to Divine Providence by finding out all that he can about the victims. The friar begins a philosophical and introspective journey that will last him several years and takes him thousands of miles. Critically acclaimed and deeply thoughtful, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" endures as a timeless story of loss, tragedy, and man's eternal search for meaning in a cruel world.

First published in 1927 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" is the moving story of a tragic accident and its aftermath by American author Thornton Wilder. The novel tells the fictional story of the victims of a horrific collapse of an Incan rope bridge in Peru and how they came to be on the bridge on that fateful day. Set in the early 18th century, the novel begins with a description of the bridge's collapse, which claimed the lives of all five people who were crossing it, by the tragedy's sole witness: a Franciscan friar, Brother Juniper, who was almost crossing the bridge himself when it collapsed. Brother Juniper wishes to make sense of the day's events and hopes to understand how the tragedy relates to Divine Providence by finding out all that he can about the victims. The friar begins a philosophical and introspective journey that will last him several years and takes him thousands of miles. Critically acclaimed and deeply thoughtful, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" endures as a timeless story of loss, tragedy, and man's eternal search for meaning in a cruel world.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey tells the story of several interrelated people who die in the collapse of an Inca rope bridge in Peru, and the events that lead up to their being on the bridge. A friar who witnesses the accident then goes about inquiring into the lives of the victims, seeking some sort of cosmic answer to the question of why each had to die. Is there a direction or meaning in lives beyond that of an individual's own will? Powerful and Compelling. Thornton Wilder is a masterful story teller and this was his most important novel.

The story centers on a fictional event that happened in Peru on the road between Lima and Cuzco, at noon on Friday, July the twentieth, 1714. A rope bridge woven by the Inca a century earlier collapsed at that particular moment, while five people were crossing it, sending them falling from a great height to their deaths in the river below. The collapse was witnessed by Brother Juniper, a Franciscan friar who was on his way to cross the bridge himself. A deeply pious man who seeks to provide some sort of empirical evidence that might prove to the world God's Divine Providence, he sets out to interview everyone he can find who knew the five victims. Over the course of six years, he compiles a huge book of all of the evidence he gathers to show that the beginning and end of a person is all part of God's plan for that person. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year.

First published in 1927 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" is the moving story of a tragic accident and its aftermath by American author Thornton Wilder. The novel tells the fictional story of the victims of a horrific collapse of an Incan rope bridge in Peru and how they came to be on the bridge on that fateful day. Set in the early 18th century, the novel begins with a description of the bridge's collapse, which claimed the lives of all five people who were crossing it, by the tragedy's sole witness: a Franciscan friar, Brother Juniper, who was almost crossing the bridge himself when it collapsed. Brother Juniper wishes to make sense of the day's events and hopes to understand how the tragedy relates to Divine Providence by finding out all that he can about the victims. The friar begins a philosophical and introspective journey that will last him several years and takes him thousands of miles. Critically acclaimed and deeply thoughtful, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" endures as a timeless story of loss, tragedy, and man's eternal search for meaning in a cruel world. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey tells the story of several interrelated people who die in the collapse of an Inca rope bridge in Peru, and the events that lead up to their being on the bridge. A friar who witnesses the accident then goes about inquiring into the lives of the victims, seeking some sort of cosmic answer to the question of why each had to die.The Bridge of San Luis Rey won the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, and remains widely acclaimed as Wilder's most famous work. citation needed] In 1998, the book was rated number 37 by the editorial board of the American Modern Library on the list of the 100 best 20th-century novels. Time magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.From the earnings of The Bridge of San Luis Rey, in 1930 Wilder built a house for his family in Hamden, Connecticut. His sister Isabel lived there for the rest of her life. This became his home base, although he traveled extensively and lived away for significant periods. He died in this house on December 7, 1975, of heart failure. He was interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery, Hamden, Connecticut.

The Long Christmas Dinner - nine decades long - showcases the lives of several generations of the Bayard family. Wilder breaks the boundaries of time as we measure it, and invites us to partake of "one long, happy Christmas dinner" - past, present and future. As generations appear, have children, wither, and depart, only the audience appreciates what changes and what remains the same. "Every last twig is wrapped around with ice. You almost never see that," young Genevieve marvels, not realizing that her mother made this observation years earlier, or that her daughter-in-law will one day do the same.

"For much of the twentieth century, these remarkable early novels were hidden in the great shadow of The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Now we can examine them in the spotlight for the gifts that they are--memorable monuments to style and keys to understanding Wilder's genius." - Penelope Niven, Thornton Wilder BiographerFeaturing a foreword by Penelope Niven and a revealing afterword by the author's nephew, Tappan Wilder, this gorgeous reissue reacquaints readers with Thornton Wilder's first novel, The Cabala, along with The Woman of Andros, one of the inspirations for his Pulitzer Prize-winning play Our Town.The Cabala tells the story of a young American student who spends a year in the exotic world of post-World War I Rome. While there, he experiences firsthand the waning days of a secret community (a "cabala") of decaying royalty, a great cardinal of the Roman Church, and an assortment of memorable American ex-pats. A semiautobiographical novel of unforgettable characters and human passions, The Cabala launched Wilder's career as a celebrated storyteller and dramatist.The Woman of Andros, set on the obscure Greek island of Brynos before the birth of Christ, explores universal questions of what is precious about life and how we live, love, and die. Eight years later, Wilder would pose these same questions on the stage in a play titled Our Town, also set in an obscure location, this time a village in New Hampshire. The Woman of Andros is celebrated for some of the most beautiful writing in American literature.

"If John Steinbeck's mighty Grapes of Wrath is the tragic novel of the Great Depression, then Heaven's My Destination is its comic masterpiece. --J.D. McClatchyA hilarious tale about goodness in a fallen world, Heaven's My Destination introduces George Marvin Brush, one of Thornton Wilder's most memorable characters. 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 Depression-era America itself. This special edition includes an updated afterword by Wilder's nephew, Tappan Wilder, with illuminating material about the author and book.

The classic Thornton Wilder novel that recreates the dazzling ancient Roman empire of Julius Caesar--now with a new introduction by Jeremy McCarter, author of Young Radicals and co-author (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution. 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. Vivid, compelling, and engaging, The Ides of March showcases Thornton Wilder's unique storytelling genius. This special edition also includes an afterword by Wilder's nephew, Tappan Wilder, with illuminating documentary material about the novelist and story.

"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 TimesFrom 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

"An extremely entertaining array of American life in a bygone era." -- New YorkerThe last of Thornton Wilder's works published during his lifetime, Theophilus North is part autobiographical and part the imagined adventures of Wilder's twin brother who died at birth. This edition features an updated afterword from Wilder's nephew, Tappan Wilder, with illuminating material about the novelist, story and setting.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, tennis coach, spy, confidant, lover, friend and enemy as he becomes entangled in adventure and intrigue in Newport's fabulous addresses, as well as in its local boarding houses, restaurants, dives and military barracks.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, at the end of the day, about life, love, and work.

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."