Tennessee Williams, one of America's most beloved playwrights, reads from his own work in an extraordinary and historic recording from the very earliest of the Caedmon archive. This CD opens with the playwright reading the wistful opening monologue and the tragic ending of his Pulitzer Prize winning memory play, The Glass Menagerie. In addition, Williams reads a collection of his light and charming poetry that skillfully displays his range and skill. And Williams ends with his uproariously wicked short story, The Yellow Bird. —back cover 1. Caedmon Presents... 2. "The Glass Menagerie," Opening Monologue 3. "The Glass Menagerie," Closing Scenes 4. Cried The Fox 5. The Eyes 6. The Summer Belvedere 7. Which Is My Little Boy 8. Little Horse 9. Gold-Tooth Blues 10. Kitchen Door Blues 11. Heavenly Grass 12. Little One 13. The Yellow Bird 14. Closing Message 15. "We Hope You've Enjoyed This Program From Caedmon..."
Author
Thomas Lanier Williams III, better known by the nickname Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright of the twentieth century who received many of the top theatrical awards for his work. He moved to New Orleans in 1939 and changed his name to "Tennessee," the state of his father's birth. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, after years of obscurity, at age 33 he became famous with the success of The Glass Menagerie (1944) in New York City. This play closely reflected his own unhappy family background. It was the first of a string of successes, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and The Night of the Iguana (1961). With his later work, he attempted a new style that did not appeal to audiences. His drama A Streetcar Named Desire is often numbered on short lists of the finest American plays of the 20th century, alongside Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Much of Williams' most acclaimed work has been adapted for the cinema. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. From Wikipedia
