-
Period: to
Birth and Death
Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams
Born: March 26, 1911, Columbus, MS
Died: February 25, 1983, New York, NY -
Early Life
Williams father was a traveling shoe salesman who struggled with alcoholism. He had two siblings, an older sister named Rose Isabel Williams and a younger brother named Walter Dakin Williams. -
Changes his name
He moved to New Orleans and changed his name from "Thomas" to "Tennessee" because he wanted to enter a playwriting contest for those 25 and younger, he lied about his age and won $100. -
Early Writing Career
His early writing included essays, stories, and plays, but he struggled to gain recognition. His first submitted play, "Beauty Is the Word," and short story, "The Vengeance of Nitocris," did not bring him significant recognition. Williams adopted the pen name "Tennessee Williams". -
Education
He is admitted to the University of Missouri where he sees a production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts and decides to become a playwright and later transferred to the University of Iowa, where he received a B.A. in English -
Explores homosexuality
After some early attempts at relationships with women, by the late 1930s, Williams began exploring his homosexuality. -
Forced to drop out of school
His father forces him to withdraw from school and work in a St. Louis shoe factory -
Meets Frank Merlo
In 1948, Tennessee Williams spent time in Rome with a young man named "Rafaello." After returning to New York City, he met Frank Merlo, a Sicilian-American and former U.S. Navy member, and they fell in love. -
Death of Frank Merlo
His partner, Frank Merlo, dies of lung cancer and Williams falls into a deep depression that will last for a decade. -
Death
On February 25, 1983, Williams was found dead at age 72 in his suite. Williams had choked to death from inhaling the plastic cap of a bottle of the type used on bottles of nasal spray or eye solution. -
Most famous plays
“A Streetcar Named Desire,”
It's about a woman named Blanche who moves in with her sister and her husband in New Orleans, and the differences between them cause some problems. “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,”
This play is about a family gathering on a plantation where Brick and Maggie struggle and family secrets are revealed. “The Glass Menagerie.”
It's about a family with a controlling mother, and her two adult children. They are dealing with their dreams and struggles. -
Inspirations
In much of his writing, Williams was inspired by his own
dysfunctional family and his Puritan education. He found comfort and purpose in the drama and wrote, "The theatre and I found each other for better and for worse. I know it's the only thing that saved my life." -
Challenges and Personal Struggles
Although Williams was successful in his early years, he was also facing personal troubles, including struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of theatrical failures and struggles in his personal life. His last play, "A House Not Meant to Stand," received positive reviews but ran for only 40 performances. -
Awards and Recognitions
Tennessee Williams received the Saint Louis University Library Associates St. Louis Literary Award in 1974. He was admitted to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1979, four years before his death. -
Literary Influences
Tennessee Williams was influenced by many different poets and writers. These include Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, Hart Crane, Arthur Rimbaud, Anton Chekhov, William Shakespeare and others. -
Career Highlights
Before receiving a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation in 1939 to support his play "Battle of Angels," Williams worked many low-paid jobs. His play, "The Glass Menagerie," became a hit in Chicago and New York in the mid-1940s. "A Streetcar Named Desire" established his reputation as a great playwright in 1947. Williams traveled extensively with his partner, Frank Merlo, writing many successful plays and winning awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. -
Quote.
“If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels.” -
Important events
After being drafted, Williams attended basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and then specialized training at Fort Knox, Ky. to maintain .50-caliber machine guns, tanks and personnel carriers. -
Health problems
Williams had a near-death experience as a child due to diphtheria, which left him frail and confined to his house for a year.
Born into a family with a strong history of serious mental illness, Williams seemed to have had several major depressive episodes in early adulthood, along with a serious alcohol and drug dependence, throughout his adult life. -
Fun Facts
He originally titled A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche’s Chair in the Moon. He encountered the world’s least competent robber.
Tennessee Williams invited a guy to his hotel cabana, but the guy only found $7 in his wallet. Unable to steal the watch, the guy was told there were hundreds in the room. Williams locked the door, slept, and the guy kept calling all night, saying, "I'm still waiting!". -