Glossary entry for
Williams, Tennessee

Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) was one of the greatest twentieth century playwrights. He attended Soldan and University City high schools, and Washington University, before graduating from the University of Iowa. His plays explore what he called "the unlighted sides" of human nature with great insight. He won Pulitzer Prizes for Streetcar Named Desire (1947) and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1955). Those works, along with The Glass Menagerie (1945) and Night of the Iguana, also won New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. Williams wrote nearly thirty full-length plays, two novels, and a number of short stories and plays.

Sweet Bird of Youth is a 1959 play which tells the story of an aging movie star whose kept young man is castrated by the father of the girl he deserted.

Contributed by Alan Pert, Sydney, Australia

More information available at:

• the Wikipedia page on Tennessee Williams
• the IMDB page on Tennessee Williams

Van references in:

• "Wild Children" (on Hard Nose The Highway)
• "Contacting My Angel" (on Avalon Sunset)
• "Youth Of 1,000 Summers" (on Enlightenment)

Part of the van-the-man.info unofficial website