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Tennessee Williams

テネシー・ウィリアムズ

Tennessee Williams

Pen Names: Tennessee Williams（Adopted as his professional pen name around 1939 in acknowledgement of his Southern roots and accent）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1911-03-26 （Columbus, Mississippi, U.S.）
Died
1983-02-25 （New York City (Hotel Elysée), U.S.） age 71
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Catholic Church
Residence History
Columbus, Mississippi → St. Louis, Missouri → New Orleans, Louisiana (French Quarter) → Key West, Florida → New York City, New York → Rome, Italy → Barcelona, Spain → London, United Kingdom

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter, novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist
Active Years
1930-1983
Influenced By
Hart Crane, Arthur Rimbaud, Anton Chekhov, William Shakespeare, William Faulkner, D. H. Lawrence, James Joyce, Emily Dickinson
Influenced
Edward Albee, Sam Shepard

Education

University of Missouri
Journalism (courses)
Period: 1929–1931
Country: United States
Enrolled 1929–1931; left without a degree
Washington University in St. Louis
Period: 1936–1937（在籍）
Country: United States
Attended; did not complete degree
University of Iowa
English
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1937–1938
Year of Graduation: 1938
Country: United States
Graduated with a B.A. in English in August 1938
The New School (Dramatic Workshop)
Dramatic Workshop
Period: 時期不明
Country: United States
Studied at the Dramatic Workshop; dates not specified

Awards

New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (Best Play)
1945
Work: The Glass Menagerie
Category: Drama
Organization: New York Drama Critics' Circle
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
1948
Work: A Streetcar Named Desire
Category: Drama
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
1955
Work: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Category: Drama
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
St. Louis Literary Award
1974
Organization: Saint Louis University Library Associates
Result: 受賞
American Theater Hall of Fame (Inductee)
1979
Organization: American Theater Hall of Fame
Result: 殿堂入り

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Glass Menagerie

1944 Memory play / Drama 80 pages

A memory play in which Tom recounts his life with his domineering mother Amanda and shy sister Laura; themes include memory, illusion versus reality, and the desire for escape.

family dysfunctionmemory and illusionescape
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Glass Menagerie (1950 film) / Irving Rapper (1950)

A Streetcar Named Desire

1947 Drama / Psychological drama 120 pages

Follows Blanche DuBois, a fragile woman whose arrival at her sister Stella's home and clash with Stanley Kowalski lead to tragedy; explores desire, power, and mental collapse.

sexual desirepower and violencemental breakdown
Adaptations
  • [Film] A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film) / Elia Kazan (1951)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

1955 Family drama / Psychological drama 110 pages

Set in the American South, the play exposes lies, repression, and sexual tensions within a wealthy family as secrets and personal conflicts surface.

lies and truthsexual repressioninheritance and desire
Adaptations
  • [Film] Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958 film) / Richard Brooks (1958)

Sweet Bird of Youth

1959 Drama / Social critique 100 pages

Examines aging, exploitation, and the emptiness of fame through the relationship between a faded movie star and a younger companion.

agingthe illusion of fameexploitation
Adaptations
  • [Film] Sweet Bird of Youth (1962 film) / Richard Brooks (1962)

The Night of the Iguana

1961 Drama 95 pages

Set in Mexico, the play follows failing men and the women around them, exploring themes of redemption and collapse.

redemptiondestructioninterpersonal collapse
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Night of the Iguana (1964 film) / John Huston (1964)

Bibliography

  • The Glass Menagerie (1944)
  • A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)
  • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955)
  • Sweet Bird of Youth (1959)
  • The Night of the Iguana (1961)
  • The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1950)
  • Memoirs (1975)

Adaptations

  • A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film), dir. Elia Kazan
  • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958 film), dir. Richard Brooks
  • The Glass Menagerie (1950 film), dir. Irving Rapper
  • The Night of the Iguana (1964 film), dir. John Huston

Translations of Works

  • Japanese translations of The Glass Menagerie
  • Japanese translations of A Streetcar Named Desire

Style & Themes

Literary Style
memory play techniquespoetic and lyrical languageelements of Southern Gothic
Recurring Motifs
family dysfunctionmental breakdownsexual repression and desirefragility (glass imagery)

Health

  • Diphtheria (childhood)
    幼少期
    Left him frail after prolonged recuperation; influenced his character and work
  • Depression / mental health issues
    生涯を通じて（特に1960年代以降悪化）
    Severely affected his work and personal life; led to hospitalizations and treatments
  • Drug dependence (barbiturates, amphetamines, etc.)
    主に晩年（1960年代以降）
    Contributed to decline in creativity, health deterioration, and was a factor in his death

Legacy

One of the foremost American playwrights of the 20th century. Through works such as A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie he explored family, sexuality, and psychological fragility; his plays have been widely staged and adapted to film, leaving a broad international legacy.

Museums

  • Tennessee Williams Theatre (Key West) Key West, Florida, U.S.
  • Tennessee Williams Welcome Center (Columbus) Columbus, Mississippi, U.S. Opened in 2010
  • Harry Ransom Center (archive & exhibitions) Austin, Texas, U.S.

Academic Societies

  • Tennessee Williams scholarly groups and academic forums

Archives

  • Tennessee Williams collection at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin
  • Manuscripts at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
  • Historic New Orleans Collection

In Popular Culture

  • Honored on a U.S. Postal Service stamp in 1995
  • Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival held annually in New Orleans
  • Inaugural honoree of the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco (2014)

Quotes

  • "[T]here used to be two streetcars in New Orleans. One was named Desire and the other was called Cemeteries. To get where you were going, you changed from the first to the second. In [his] stories and in those plays, Tennessee validated with his genius our common ticket of transfer."
    Source: Gore Vidal (Introduction to Tennessee Williams: Collected Stories) (1985)

Trivia

  • Born Thomas Lanier Williams III.
  • Adopted the pen name 'Tennessee Williams' around 1939.
  • Won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice (1948 for A Streetcar Named Desire; 1955 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof).
  • Died in 1983 in New York; cause reported as an overdose of secobarbital.
  • Left the bulk of his estate to the University of the South, with trusts benefiting his sister.