The Collected Short Plays of Thornton Wilder, Vol. 1
The theater world's great rediscovery of Thornton Wilder shifts into high gear with this glorious volume of short plays--some recently discovered among his papers and published here for the first time. The Pulitzer-winning author ofOur TownandThe Skin of Our Teethreturned constantly to the short form, perhaps more than any other contemporary playwright. His mastery is revealed in cut gemsHappy Journey to Trenton and Camden,The Long Christmas Dinner,and especiallyPullman Car Hiawatha.With this volume edited by Donald Gallup and Wilder's nephew A. Tappan Wilder we add the playlets of two great unfinished cycles,The Seven Ages of ManandThe Seven Deadly Sins,several of which have been completed by a scholar, respectfully based on Wilder's writings and conversations. Best among the hitherto unproduced works isRivers Under the Earth,about the dark currents moving beneath the placid surface of a family on summer vacation. Like so many of Wilder's longer works, these short plays seem to be homely slices of Americana--but every once in a while they suddenly yield glimpses of the infinite.