Tennessee Williams: A Literary Life (Literary Lives)

"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."--Publisher's website. 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 Front Matter....Pages i-xv Columbus to Columbia (via St Louis): Separating Fact from Fiction....Pages 1-24 University City to Clayton (via Memphis): Looking for a Publisher in Spring....Pages 25-41 University City to New Orleans (via Iowa City): Academic Blues versus ‘American Blues’....Pages 42-68 New Orleans to Hollywood (via Acapulco): Mañana Es Otro Día....Pages 69-101 Hollywood to Rome (via Chicago): The ‘Catastrophe’ of his Success....Pages 102-129 Rome to Rome (via Nearly Everywhere Else): ‘Comfortable Little Mercies’....Pages 130-157 New York to New York (via Miami): A Battle of Angles....Pages 158-179 Tokyo to St Louis (via Spoleto): The Stoned(wall) Age....Pages 180-208 Key West to New York (via Bangkok): In Search of Androgyny....Pages 209-244 Chicago to St Louis (via Vancouver): ‘Right (Write) On!’ ....Pages 245-258 Epilogue....Pages 259-263 Back Matter....Pages 264-341 Cover 1 Contents -1 Preface -1 Acknowledgements -1 List of Abbreviations -1 1 Columbus to Columbia (via St Louis): Separating Fact from Fiction -1 2 University City to Clayton (via Memphis): Looking for a Publisher in Spring -1 3 University City to New Orleans (via Iowa City): Academic Blues versus 'American Blues' -1 4 New Orleans to Hollywood (via Acapulco): Mañana Es Otro Día -1 5 Hollywood to Rome (via Chicago): The 'Catastrophe' of his Success -1 6 Rome to Rome (via Nearly Everywhere Else): 'Comfortable Little Mercies' -1 7 New York to New York (via Miami): A Battle of Angles -1 8 Tokyo to St Louis (via Spoleto): The Stoned(wall) Age -1 9 Key West to New York (via Bangkok): In Search of Androgyny -1 10 Chicago to St Louis (via Vancouver): 'Right (Write) On!' -1 11 Epilogue -1 Notes -1 Bibliography -1 Index -1