The Art of Theater No. 5
On being single: “You know what happened to poor Norman Mailer. One wife after another, and all that alimony. I've been spared all that.”
Tennessee Williams is considered one of America’s greatest playwrights. A gay man raised in the American South, Williams is known for plays that depict the violence and sexual impulses underlying polite society. His first success came in 1944 with The Glass Menagerie, which was quickly followed by such hits as A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), both of which were awarded the Pulitzer Prize, among many others. In addition to drama, Williams wrote short fiction as well as poetry.
Photo courtesy of New Directions
On being single: “You know what happened to poor Norman Mailer. One wife after another, and all that alimony. I've been spared all that.”
What follows are the authors’ discussions on the first stirrings, the germination of a poem, or a work of fiction. Any number of headings would be appropriate: Beginnings, The Starting Point, etc. Inspiration would be as good as any.
Saturday, 13 September 1941 Saturday—I have bought a used bike for ten dollars. Paid a week’s rent—$3.50. Seem to be settled for whatever is in store—One never knows, does one?