Synopses & Reviews
This Literary Life draws extensively from the playwright's correspondences, notebooks, and archival papers to offer an original angle to the discussion of Williams's life and work, and the times and circumstances that helped produce it.
Review
'New biography reveals US playwright's unflattering views of contemporaries, by drawing on unpublished work' - The Guardian
'A new biography of him by John Bak — revealing his privately expressed, sulphurous views of his rivals, of actors, of theatre directors and of audiences, not to say of humanity in general — has just been published to coincide with the anniversary.' - The Telegraph
Synopsis
As restless as many of his celebrated characters, Tennessee Williams drifted between cities as frequently as he did lovers. But in the end there were those few permanent fixtures that helped anchor his life, be they the cities of Key West or Rome or the love and friendship of Frank Merlo, Paul Bowles, Jane Smith, and Marion Vaccaro. Wherever he travelled throughout the world, and whomever he may have taken with him on his journey, Williams was never far from a swimming pool, a cool drink, or a manual typewriter. From his college years through his Broadway triumphs to his final battles with the theatre critics, Williams never stopped writing, leaving behind him mountains of letters, manuscripts, and daily musings. Tennessee Williams: A Literary Life draws extensively from the playwright's correspondences, notebooks, and archival papers to offer an original angle to the discussion of Williams's life and work, and the times and circumstances that helped produce it.
About the Author
JOHN S. BAK is a professor of American Literature at Université Nancy, France.
Table of Contents
PrefaceAcknowledgementsColumbus to Columbia (via St Louis): Separating Fact from FictionUniversity City to Clayton (via Memphis): Looking for a Publisher in SpringClayton to New Orleans (via Iowa City): Academic Blues vs. 'American Blues'New Orleans to Hollywood (via Acapulco): Mañana Es Otro DíaHollywood to Rome (via Chicago): The 'Catastrophe' of His SuccessRome to Rome (via nearly everywhere else): 'Comfortable little mercies'New York to New York (via Miami): A Battle of AnglesTokyo to St Louis (via Spoleto): The Stoned(wall) AgeKey West to New York (via Bangkok): In Search of AndrogynyChicago to St Louis (via Vancouver): 'Right (write) on!' EpilogueBibliographyNotes