As restless as many of his celebrated characters, Tennessee Williams
drifted between cities as frequently as he did lovers. But in the end
there were those few permanent fixtures that helped anchor his life, be
they the cities of Key West or Rome or the love and friendship of Frank
Merlo, Paul Bowles, Jane Smith, and Marion Vaccaro. Wherever he
travelled throughout the world, and whomever he may have taken with him
on his journey, Williams was never far from a swimming pool, a cool
drink, or a manual typewriter. From his college years through his
Broadway triumphs to his final battles with the theatre critics,
Williams never stopped writing, leaving behind him mountains of letters,
manuscripts, and daily musings. Tennessee Williams: A Literary Life
draws extensively from the playwright's correspondences, notebooks, and
archival papers to offer an original angle to the discussion of
Williams's life and work, and the times and circumstances that helped
produce it.