"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."— Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
The writer of small-town America
Thornton Wilder was born in Wisconsin in 1897. His father was a newspaper editor who became the American consul to Hong Kong and Shanghai when Thornton was a kid. So Thornton spent part of his childhood in China, going to international schools.
He went to Yale, then to a teaching job in New Jersey. He kept writing on the side. In 1927 he published The Bridge of San Luis Rey, a short novel asking why five strangers died together when a Peruvian rope bridge collapsed. It became a bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize.
Quick Facts
- Born: April 17, 1897
- From: Wisconsin, USA (raised partly in China)
- Job: Playwright, novelist, teacher
- Famous for: Our Town, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Skin of Our Teeth
Our Town is one of the most-performed plays in American history. It's been staged at high schools, community theaters, and Broadway nonstop since 1938. Statistically, it's being performed somewhere in the world tonight.
His Famous Stories
Read Wilder's stories on Worldly
Wilder wrote about ordinary lives in ways that make them feel huge. On Worldly, every page is adapted to your reading level.
His Life, Year by Year
From China to Yale to Pulitzer fame
Wilder spent most of his life teaching while writing on the side. He balanced both for decades.
Born in Wisconsin
Thornton Wilder is born in Madison, Wisconsin, to a newspaper editor and his wife.
Off to China
Thornton's father becomes the American consul in Hong Kong, then Shanghai. Thornton spends parts of his childhood in China.
Graduates from Yale
Thornton graduates from Yale University. He starts a teaching career and keeps writing.
His first novel
Thornton publishes The Cabala, his first novel. It's a quiet hit.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Thornton publishes The Bridge of San Luis Rey, asking why five travelers died together when a rope bridge collapsed in Peru. It wins the Pulitzer Prize and becomes a bestseller.
Our Town
Thornton's play Our Town opens on Broadway. The play uses no scenery, just a Stage Manager narrator. It wins Thornton's second Pulitzer.
The Skin of Our Teeth
Thornton's surreal play The Skin of Our Teeth opens. The play shows the human race surviving thousands of years of disasters. It wins Thornton's third Pulitzer.
The Matchmaker
Thornton writes The Matchmaker, a comedy that becomes the basis for the famous musical Hello, Dolly!
He dies in Connecticut
Thornton dies at 78 at his home in Connecticut. He's one of only three Americans ever to win the Pulitzer Prize in both fiction AND drama.
What He Brought to the Stage
Three things Wilder did differently
Wilder's most famous play, Our Town, broke a lot of theater rules. Audiences had never seen anything quite like it.
Our Town · 1938
Almost no scenery
Our Town has no real sets. The actors mime opening doors, drinking coffee, and getting ready for school. The empty stage forces you to imagine, and to focus on the people.
Our Town · 1938
A narrator on stage
A Stage Manager character walks around and talks DIRECTLY to the audience, explaining what's happening, introducing characters, even jumping in time. Audiences had rarely seen a play like that.
Our Town · 1938
Small lives, big meaning
Almost nothing dramatic happens in Our Town. Two teenagers fall in love. They get married. One of them dies. The point is that those ordinary moments are the most important ones.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Thornton Wilder
He won three Pulitzer Prizes
Thornton won three Pulitzer Prizes, one for fiction (The Bridge of San Luis Rey) and two for drama (Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth). Only two other Americans have ever won the Pulitzer in both fiction AND drama.
He grew up in China
Thornton's father was the American consul in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Thornton spent parts of his childhood at international schools in China.
He was a teacher most of his life
Even after he was famous, Thornton kept teaching. He taught literature at the University of Chicago and gave lectures at Harvard. He liked the classroom.
Hello Dolly is based on his play
The famous musical Hello, Dolly! is based on Thornton's play The Matchmaker, which was itself based on an Austrian comedy. The musical (1964) became one of the most successful in Broadway history.
His sister was also a famous writer
Thornton's sister Isabel Wilder also wrote novels. The whole family had a love of writing and reading. Thornton's biographer-publisher brother Amos Wilder was a poet and theology professor.
He served in both world wars
Thornton served in the U.S. Army during World War I (in his early twenties) and again as an Air Force intelligence officer during World War II (in his forties). He kept writing the whole time.
Good questions, answered
Thornton Wilder FAQ
Is Our Town really performed every night?+
Pretty much! Our Town is one of the most-performed plays in American history. It's a favorite of high schools, community theaters, and professional companies. Statistically, somewhere in the world tonight, someone is performing it.
What's the Bridge of San Luis Rey about?+
A monk in 18th-century Peru witnesses a rope bridge collapse, killing five travelers. He wants to know why these five people, at that moment. The book follows the lives of each victim before the disaster, asking whether there's any meaning in who lives and who dies.
Were all three Pulitzers for the same work?+
No, all three were for different works. The Bridge of San Luis Rey (novel, 1928), Our Town (play, 1938), and The Skin of Our Teeth (play, 1943). Thornton is one of only three Americans ever to win in both fiction and drama.
What age are his works good for?+
Wilder's works are gentle but deep, best for ages 10 and up. The Worldly versions are adapted for younger readers without losing the wonder.
Is Hello, Dolly! really based on his play?+
Yes! The famous musical Hello, Dolly! (1964) is based on Thornton's play The Matchmaker (1955), which was itself based on a 19th-century Austrian comedy. So the chain is, Austrian play to American play to American musical.
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