New Selected Essays by Tennessee Williams
For most of his Broadway plays Tennessee Williams composed an essay, most often for The New York Times, to be published just prior to opening—something to whet the theatergoers’ appetites and to get the critics thinking. Many of these were collected in the 1978 volume Where I Live, which is now expanded by noted Williams scholar John S. Bak to include all of Williams’ theater essays, biographical pieces, introductions and reviews. This volume also includes a few occasional pieces, program notes, and a discreet selection of juvenilia such as his 1927 essay published in Smart Set, which answers the question “Can a good wife be a good sport?” Wonderful and candid stories abound in these essays—from erudite observations on the theater to veneration for great actresses. In “Five Fiery Ladies” Williams describes his fascinated, deep appreciation of Vivien Leigh, Geraldine Page, Anna Magnani, Katharine Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor, all of whom created roles in stage or film versions of his plays. There are two tributes to his great friend Carson McCullers; reviews of Cocteau’s film Orpheus and of two novels by Paul Bowles; a portrait of Williams’ longtime agent Audrey Wood; a salute to Tallulah Bankhead; a political statement from 1972, “We Are Dissenters Now”; some hilarious stories in response to Elia Kazan’s frequent admonition, “Tennessee, Never Talk to An Actress”; and Williams’ most moving and astute autobiographical essay, “The Man in the Overstuffed Chair.” Theater critic and essayist John Lahr has provided a terrific foreword which sheds further light on Tennessee Williams’ writing process, always fueled by Williams’ self-deprecating humor and his empathy for life’s nonconformists.
A wonderful collection that should not be missed by those with even a glimmer of interest in the theater-- Rob Cline - Cedar Rapids Gazette
It should be read not as a series of disparate essays but from cover to cover. -- Caroline Bleeke - The Harvard Book Review
Somehow, it's like seeing the Wizard of Oz looking out of the curtain and seeing himself in a mirror. -- Marilis Hornidge - The Lincoln County News
This collection of essays adds immeasurably to our understanding of Williams' devoted heart, his brave struggle. -- Susan Larson - The Times-Picayune
It should be read not as a series of disparate essays but from cover to cover. -- Caroline Bleeke - The Harvard Book Review
Somehow, it's like seeing the Wizard of Oz looking out of the curtain and seeing himself in a mirror. -- Marilis Hornidge - The Lincoln County News
This collection of essays adds immeasurably to our understanding of Williams' devoted heart, his brave struggle. -- Susan Larson - The Times-Picayune
Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) was America's most influential playwright. Readers have devoured his poetry, essays, short stories, and letters, as well as his fantastic late plays, his remarkable corpus of one-acts, and his greatest plays-The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Night of the Iguana, The Rose Tattoo, Suddenly Last Summer, and Camino Real. Williams is a cornerstone of New Directions-we publish everything he wrote. He is also our single bestselling author. National Book Award finalist John Lahr is the author of Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh, among other books. He was the senior drama critic of The New Yorker for over two decades. He has twice won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism and is the first critic ever to win a Tony Award (coauthor, Elaine Stritch at Liberty).
SKU | GOR013785292 |
ISBN 13 | 9780811217286 |
ISBN 10 | 0811217280 |
Title | New Selected Essays |
Author | Tennessee Williams |
Condition | like new |
Binding type | Paperback |
Publisher | New Directions Publishing Corporation |
Year published | 2009-03-31 |
Number of pages | 256 |
Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
Note | The book has been read, but looks new. The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket is included if applicable. No missing or damaged pages, no tears, possible very minimal creasing, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins |