Eugene O'Neill is considered one of America's greatest playwrights.
O'Neill biographers, literary scholars, and theatrical practitioners
acknowledge the importance of O'Neill's maritime background and
experience to his work, but this is the first study to bring the
perspective of maritime history and culture to a review of his life and
plays. Robert Richter, a long-time student of O'Neill's work, looks at
the maritime history of New London, Connecticut, where O'Neill spent
summers, the details of O'Neill's experience in sailing and steamships,
and his Provincetown experiences before tracing elements of these
connections in the plays.