{"product_id":"memoirs-9780811216692","title":"Memoirs","description":"When \u003cem\u003eMemoirs\u003c\/em\u003e was first published in 1975, it created quite a bit of turbulence in the mediathough long self-identified as a gay man, Williams' candor about his love life, sexual encounters, and drug use was found shocking in and of itself, and such revelations by America's greatest living playwright were called \"a raw display of private life\" by \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e. As it turns out, thirty years later, Williams' look back at his life is not quite so scandalous as it once seemed; he recalls his childhood in Mississippi and St. Louis, his prolonged struggle as a \"starving artist,\" the \"overnight\" success of \u003cem\u003eThe Glass Menagerie\u003c\/em\u003e in 1945, the death of his long-time companion Frank Merlo in 1962, and his confinement to a psychiatric ward in 1969 and subsequent recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, all with the same directness, compassion, and insight that epitomize his plays.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And, of course, \u003cem\u003eMemoirs\u003c\/em\u003e is filled with Williams' amazing friends from the worlds of stage, screen, and literature as heoften hilariously, sometimes fondly, sometimes notremembers them: Laurette Taylor, Gore Vidal, Truman Capote, Elia Kazan, Marlon Brando, Vivian Leigh, Carson McCullers, Anna Magnani, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, and Tallulah Bankhead to name a few. And now film director John Waters, well acquainted with shocking the American public, has written an introduction that gives some perspective on the various reactions to Tennessee's \u003cem\u003eMemoirs\u003c\/em\u003e, while also paying tribute to a fellow artist who inspired many with his integrity and endurance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWilliams, Tennessee:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eTennessee Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e (1911-1983) is the acclaimed author of many books of letters, short stories, poems, essays, and a large collection of plays, including \u003cem\u003eThe Glass Menagerie\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA Streetcar Named Desire\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCamino Real, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eCat on a Hot Tin Roof\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOrpheus Descending\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Night of the Iguana\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Rose Tattoo\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWaters, John:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Director, screenwriter, and well-known raconteur of American kitsch and camp, \u003cb\u003eJohn Waters\u003c\/b\u003e' films include \u003ci\u003ePink Flamingos\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCecil B. Demented\u003c\/i\u003e. In 2002 his film \u003ci\u003eHairspray\u003c\/i\u003e was made into a hit Broadway musical.","brand":"New Directions Publishing Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50492113846546,"sku":"9780811216692","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d84586e6-68a7-4b99-8966-e303a19ae241.jpg?v=1730571858","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/memoirs-9780811216692","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}