The Woman of Andros and The Ides of March

"First published in 1930, Wilder's bestselling novel The Woman of Andros is set on the obscure Greek island of Brynos before the birth of Christ. it explores universal questions of what is precious about life and how we live, love, and die, depicted through the life of an enigmatic courtesan, Chrysis. It is celebrated for some of the most beautiful writing in American literature, and as a key source for his 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Our Town."The Ides of March, first published in 1948, is an internationally celebrated, brilliant epistolary novel set in Julius Caesar's Rome. Informed by his own experiences in the Second World War, Wilder uses vividly imagined letters and documents to bring into the present a fabulous period of world history and its many magnetic, elusive personalities, with Caesar, of course, as first among equals." [from the back cover] First published in 1930, Wilder's best-selling novel The Woman of Andros is set on a Greek island before the birth of Christ. It tells the story of the enigmatic Chrysis, a charismatic courtesan shunned by society. In her encounters with the young men of the island, Chrysis probes what is precious about life, and how we live, love and die in a harsh world. Pamphilus, the only son of a prominent villager, fathers a baby out of wedlock with Chrysis' sister, whom he wants to marry. The questions faced by Pamphilus, his family and the other 'respectable' citizens of the island also explore themes of social class and status. The book was inspired by Andria, a comedy by the Roman playwright Terence. The Ides of March , first published in 1948, is an epistolary novel set in the Rome of Julius Caesar. Wilder brings to life a dramatic period of world history and many of its chief protagonists, including Cleopatra, Catullus and Cicero, combining letters with other documents to perform a remarkable feat of evocation. First published in 1930, Wilder's bestselling novel The Woman of Andros is set on the obscure Greek island of Brynos before the birth of Christ. It explores universal questions of what is precious about life and how we live, love, and die, depicted through the life of an enigmatic courtesan, Chrysis. It is celebrated for some of the most beautiful writing in American literature. The Ides of March, first published in 1948, is a brilliant epistolary novel set in Julius Caesar's Rome. Through vividly imagined letters and documents, Wilder brings to life a dramatic period of world history and one of its most magnetic, elusive personalities.