The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams, Vol. 2: 1945-1957 [Hardcover]

Tennessee Williams (Author), Albert J. Devlin (Editor), Nancy Marie Patterson Tischler (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2004

Volume I of The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams ends with the unexpected triumph of The Glass Menagerie. Volume II extends the correspondence from 1946 to 1957, a time of intense creativity which saw the production of A Streetcar Named Desire, The Rose Tattoo, Camino Real, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Following the immense success of Streetcar, Williams struggles to retain his prominence with a prodigious outpouring of stories, poetry, and novels as well as plays. Several major film projects, including the notorious Baby Doll, bring Williams and his collaborator Elia Kazan into conflict with powerful agencies of censorship, exposing both the conservative landscape of the 1950s and Williams' own studied resistance to the forces of conformity. Letters written to Kazan, Carson McCullers, Gore Vidal, publisher James Laughlin, and Audrey Wood, Williams' resourceful agent, continue earlier lines of correspondence and introduce new celebrity figures. The Broadway and Hollywood successes in the evolving career of America's premier dramatist vie with a string of personal losses and a deepening depression to make this period an emotional and artistic rollercoaster for Tennessee.

Compiled by leading Williams scholars Albert J. Devlin, Professor of English at the University of Missouri, and Nancy M. Tischler, Professor Emerita of English at the Pennsylvania State University, Volume II maintains the exacting standard of Volume I, called by Choice: "a volume that will prove indispensable to all serious students of this author...meticulous annotations greatly increase the value of this gathering."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This second volume of the playwright's correspondence begins at a time, after the staging of The Glass Menagerie, when Williams had "no interest... in more Broadway productions." It wouldn't be long, though, before he started writing A Streetcar Named Desire, which would become an even greater success and was the first of many collaborations with director Elia Kazan. Williams had plenty of advice for Kazan about the staging of Streetcar and subsequent plays, and the letters reveal the active role he played in making film adaptations of his work palatable for Hollywood censors. They also display the more relaxed personality he showed with friends, sharing gossip about visitors like Carson McCullers and Gore Vidal. With those who knew about his "unconventional mode of living," as he referred to homosexuality, he could speak even more freely, though some comments about "queens" have a mean, cynical edge. But he took great pains to keep this side of his life hidden, reminding his publisher that a collection of more explicit short stories shouldn't be displayed in bookstores or even sent to St. Louis, where his mother might see it. Williams scholars Devlin and Tischler fill in the background details effectively through interstitial notes, producing a life story that gives voice to a great playwright. B&w illus.
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Review

A front row seat at the behind-the-scenes drama...of the 20th century's premier poet-playwright. -- The Times Picayune, David Cuthbert, 1 March 2005

A life story that gives voice to a great playwright. -- Publishers Weekly, 25 October 2004

A self-portrait of a brave man, harassed by his demons, yet always...trying to bend them to his artistic will. -- Richard Schickel, New York Times, 26 December 2004

An absorbing sequel to volume 1...especially valuable because most of the letters are printed here for the first time....Essential. -- Choice, J.W. Hall, 1 May 2005

Chatty, fascinating and sometimes juicy, the letters add insight to Williams' published works and provide judicious dashes of gossip. -- Echo, Ken Furtado, 10 February 2005

His letters are among the century's finest. -- John Lahr, The New Yorker

The two volumes of letters add another layer of meaning to...all that Williams achieved in his prolific career. -- Jewish Exponent, Robert Leiter, 2 June 2005

These letters give a reader insight into the playwright's most personal views and concerns, as well as his literary judgments. -- Richmond Times-Dispatch, Jere Real, 16 January 2005

Williams' letters assume an extraordinarily intimate yet wryly ironic tone. -- Gay & Lesbian Review, Raymond-Jean Frontain

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 662 pages
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811216004
• ISBN-13: 978-0811216005
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,815,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers the Most Productive Years of his Life, February 14, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams, Vol. 2: 1945-1957 (Hardcover)

This is the second volume of correspondence of Tennessee Williams covering the most productive middle years of his life.

It includes letters to and from friends during what was his most productive time. This when he was writing some of his best works, and the letters reflect the difficulties he was having with the work in process. These letters end in 1957 when he had just had two failed plays and the ever present critics were predicting the end of his career.

The book also includes a running commentary on the letters to keep them in perspective to the actuall happenings in his life. As a result, they form a sort of autobiography of the great dramatist.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tennessee Williams -- In his own words..., March 13, 2008

By 

Rebecca Kinson (Fredericksburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams, Vol. 2: 1945-1957 (Hardcover)

I became interested in Tennessee Williams after reading the book "Tom," which is a biography of Tennessee's life. So after reading "Tom," I ordered "The Selected Letters of Tennessee Williams, Vol 2" from Amazon and began reading it as soon as it arrived. I chose to order volume 2 before volume 1 because it contains letters to and from Tennessee during some of the most productive years of his career. It is interesting to read, in his own words, how he handled and felt about these successes.

In anticipation of the Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans this month, I suppose it is time to move on to volume 1. As always, I'll let you know what I think....