Tennessee Williams and His Contemporaries

Tennessee Williams and His Contemporaries compiles eight transcribed panels that were featured at The Tennessee Williams Scholars’ Conference, an annual event held each March in conjunction with the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. This study, the first of its kind, explores issues involving Williams’s drama, fiction, poetry, and films in a discursive format designed to probe and debate the legacy of America’s famous playwright. Virtually all aspects of Williams’s long career are covered in this volume, including the early and late plays, his unpublished work, his use of the grotesque, and his relationships with three of his contemporaries: Carson McCullers, Lillian Hellman, and William Inge. In addition, Williams scholars who teach his work discuss the most effective strategies for bringing his material into the classroom. The unique design of this volume offers a broad understanding of his material for students previously unacquainted with Tennessee Williams as well as fresh perspectives from recognized experts in the field that will satisfy those who are already familiar with his life and work.‘A valuable and unique volume. Rich variety within eight chapters transcribe topical panels from the Tennesee Williams Scholars Conference. Eight well placed chapters give even the best-informed Williams fan a solid base for comparing him with his literary contemporaries with speakers remarks representing decades of scholarship and lively conversations providing spontaneous intellectual exchanges that are absent in most critical discourse. Audiences know that a good panel discussion can be the highlight of a scholarly meeting . Eight times over, Tennesee Williams and His Contemporaries recreates this satisfying experience.’ Joan Wylie Hall, The Southern Register.