Blue Song: St. Louis in the Life and Work of Tennessee Williams

In 2011, the centennial of Tennessee Williamss birth, events were held around the world honoring Americas greatest playwright. There were festivals, conferences, and exhibitions held in places closely associated with Williamss life and careerNew Orleans held major celebrations, as did New York, Key West, and Provincetown. But absolutely nothing was done to celebrate Williamss life and extraordinary literary and theatrical career in the place that he lived in longest, and called home longer than any otherSt. Louis, Missouri.

The question of this paradox lies at the heart of this book, an attempt not so much to correct the record about Williamss well-chronicled dislike of the city, but rather to reveal how the city was absolutely indispensable to his formation and development both as a person and artist. Unlike the prevailing scholarly narrative that suggests that Williams discovered himself artistically and sexually in the deep South and New Orleans, Blue Song reveals that Williams remained emotionally tethered to St. Louis for a host of reasons for the rest of his life. See more