The Woman of Andros

“From the earliest

pages of his first novels and plays, Wilder examined the universal quandaries

encapsulated in the questions the young man Pamphilus asks in The Woman of

Andros: “How does one live? What does one do first?” — Penelope Niven Thornton Wilder’s celebrated novel The Woman of Andros, set before the birth of Christ on an obscure

Greek island, tells the story of the enigmatic Chrysis, a courtesan (and an

outcast) of haunting beauty and intelligence. In her gatherings with the young

men of the island, Chrysis probes what is precious about life, and how we live,

love, and die in a harsh world, themes that Wilder revisited eight years later

in his play, Our Town.

Pamphilus, the only son of a prominent villager, fathers a baby out of wedlock

with Chrysis’s sister, whom he wants to marry. The questions faced by

Pamphilus, his family and the other “respectable” citizens of the island also

explore themes of social class and status.

© 2020 Caedmon (Lydbog): 9780062972170

Udgivelsesdato

Lydbog: 5. maj 2020