It is a very short list of 20th-century American plays that continue to have the same power and impact as when they first appeared—57 years after its Broadway premiere, Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is one of those plays. The story famously recounts how the faded and promiscuous Blanche DuBois is pushed over the edge by her sexy and brutal brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Streetcar launched the careers of Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden, and solidified the position of Tennessee Williams as one of the most important young playwrights of his generation, as well as that of Elia Kazan as the greatest American stage director of the '40s and '50s.
Who better than America's elder statesman of the theater, Williams' contemporary Arthur Miller, to write as a witness to the lightning that struck American culture in the form of A Streetcar Named Desire? Miller's rich perspective on Williams' singular style of poetic dialogue, sensitive characters, and dramatic violence makes this a unique and valuable new edition of A Streetcar Named Desire. This definitive new edition will also include Williams' essay "The World I Live In," and a brief chronology of the author's life.
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"Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is a gripping play that explores illusion, desire, and the clash between old and new values. The story of Blanche DuBois, a woman struggling with her past while facing Stanley Kowalski's brutal reality, is both heartbreaking and thought-provoking. Williams' poetic yet raw dialogue makes this a timeless classic that leaves a lasting impact. A must-read for lovers of deep, character-driven drama!"
— Natu (5/5)
Loved
"This was our February Book pick for the #Patiosandpagesyyc bookclub and we had ulterior motives since the play was coming to Calgary and it was a perfect pairing. The book was a quick read for me and one that I didn’t read in high school some of the other bookclub members, so it was all new to me. I feel like watching the play after reading the book helped me to visualize what the characters would be like and it gave more emotion to the scenes for me personally. We decided that the play had been a bit modernized compared to the book, due to the time it was written. I did honestly feel bad for Blanche even if she was a bit villainous, I honestly think she coped with what tools she had been given in life and maybe didn’t know any better? But maybe she did. Stella was a meek little kitten and she ran away from one “villian” into the arms (haha literally, bookclub I hope you laugh at this ahha) of another. I’m not sure if she loved Stanley or was just in list with him and she got into deep and couldn’t leave even with all the red flags. Now Stanley was a typical “alpha” attempting male and he just got more and more crude the longer the play went on. I can say I actually hated him. I enjoyed the book and really enjoyed the play, it was spectacular and I’d recommend both to everyone."
— JustineVandale (4/5)
Vite devenue l’une de mes pièces de théâtre préférées
"C’est vite devenue l’une de mes pièces préférés! Ce n’est pas un classique pour rien, c’est une histoire tragique, poétique, profonde et captivante qui va en crescendo et qui est pleine de symbolismes. Il y a un usage important et fort intéressant de la musique. Ça se lit rapidement."
— Arielle (5/5)
Beautiful edition!
"Enhanced with Williams's words and works, this version of the play is beautifully offered to readers with a message that is still very relevant today"
— Anonymous (4/5)
Amazing!
"One of my favourite plays!!! Excellent movie as well. ."
— Jennifer (5/5)
Crazy Marriage and a Crazy Family Dynamic.
"Stella is married to a mean classless brute in Stanley, who is mentally as well as physically abusive. Blanche who is Stella sister is trying to run away from her past. Blanche comes to stay with her sister and her sister's Husband Stanley. And Stanley uses the visit of Blanche's as an excuse to blame the problems in his marriage on the visit of Stella's sister blanche, instead of actually working to fix his marriage, and Stella is so deep in denial she even make excuses for Stanley after Stanley physically abuses her. Blanche who also has no storage of problems in her own life ( to say the least. ) to her credit tries to make Stella wake up and see the abuse to no avail. The story takes off when Blanche has a relationship with one of Stanley card playing buddies Mitch. Quick review. We have a crazy marriage and a crazy relationship all in same story. The writer Tennessee Williams is such a skillful writer that he makes this story interesting, without making this story into a soap opera. Stella has a baby born near the end of story. The only reason I did not give this story five stars is because I felt the part of Stella having a baby was far to underplayed."
— Mike B. (4/5)
New Favourite!!
"I read this book for class and I could not put it down! Fantastic read!"
— CCPye (5/5)
Great read.
"This play is unique and tackles societal and controversial issues. There are many great themes from this play, making it such a dynamic read. As well, the characters are original and very dimensional, pulling you into their world and enticing readers the more they read on."
— Anna (4/5)
Greatest Play Ever
"This is my favourite play in the entire world. . . It deals with so many controversial issues, such as: homosexuality, spousal abuse, suicide, rape, and double standards. . . I could type on and on about this play, but will not. I will say, however, that this play can be looked at through many different literary lenses. It is a fascinating play that will live on forever."
— Margo (5/5)
Love love love!
"A great play, insightful and mirrors many present day issues."
— Gabrielle (5/5)
Q&A
Published date: Sep 17, 2004
Language: English
No. of Pages: 224
Publisher: New Directions Publishing
ISBN: 9780811216029
Dimensions:
5.1" W x
0.6" L x
8.0" H
Tennessee Williams (1911–1983) was America's most influential playwright. Readers have devoured his poetry, essays, short stories, and letters, as well as his fantastic late plays, his remarkable corpus of one-acts, and his greatest plays - The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Night of the Iguana, The Rose Tattoo, Suddenly Last Summer, and Camino Real . Williams is a cornerstone of New Directions - we publish everything he wrote. He is also our single bestselling author.
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