<p>"<em>Thornton Wilder: A Life</em> brings readers face to face with the extraordinary man who made words come alive around the world, on the stage and on the page." <br />—James Earl Jones, actor</p><p>"Comprehensive and wisely fashioned….This book is a splendid and long needed work."<br />—Edward Albee, playwright</p><p>Thornton Wilder—three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, creator of such enduring stage works as <em>Our Town</em> and <em>The Skin of Our Teeth</em>, and beloved novels like <em>Bridge of San Luis Ray</em> and <em>Theophilus North</em>—was much more than a pivotal figure in twentieth century American theater and literature. He was a world-traveler, a student, a teacher, a soldier, an actor, a son, a brother, and a complex, intensely private man who kept his personal life a secret. In <em>Thornton Wilder: A Life</em>, author Penelope Niven pulls back the curtain to present a fascinating, three-dimensional portrait one of America's greatest playwrights, novelists, and literary icons.</p>