Thornton Wilder Read Free Page A

invited to consult the following Wilder-related Web sites:
    Â 
    www.library.yale.edu/beinecke
    www.PenelopeNiven.com
    www.ThorntonWilder.com
    www.ThorntonWilderSociety.org
    Â 
    Â 
    Key to Abbreviations Used in the Notes
TNW
Thornton Niven Wilder
ANW
Amos Niven Wilder, TNW’s brother
APW
Amos Parker Wilder, TNW’s father
AWC
Alexander Woollcott Collection
HLH
Houghton Library, Harvard University
LB
TNW’s Letter Book
LC
Library of Congress
LD
TNW’s Letter Diary
NARA
National Archive and Records Administration, Washington, DC
PEN
Penelope Ellen Niven
SL
Robin G. Wilder & Jackson R. Bryer, eds., The Selected Letters of Thornton Wilder . This designation in the notes indicates that a quoted or cited letter is published in this edition of Wilder’s letters .
TS
Typescript
YCAL
Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University (TNW Collection, YCAL designates papers of TNW, ANW, APW, and other members of the Wilder family; YCAL alone designates papers held in other collections in the Yale Collection of American Literature in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    The art of biography is more difficult than is generally supposed.
    â€”THORNTON WILDER,
    The Bridge of San Luis Rey
    Â 
    Â 
    Several years ago, after I spoke to some elementary school children about my adventures as a writer, a little girl said, “I’ve just decided I’m going to be a writer when I grow up. It sounds like so much more fun than working!” Researching and writing biography can be fun, but it is most often difficult, complicated, painstaking work. Providentially, I love doing it, and fortunately, my work has been facilitated and encouraged by countless individuals who have performed innumerable acts of kindness and assistance.
    I could not have finished this book without miracles. Some of them were worked by the following: First Jennifer, my wise and beautiful daughter, a gifted writer, and a person of extraordinary grace, strength, and wit. She gives me boundless love, inspiration, encouragement, and joy. Without her I could not have surmounted the challenges in my own life while I was writing this book about Wilder’s life.
    Next, Tappan Wilder, a remarkable literary executor. He has given me unflagging encouragement and support, all the while respecting and protecting my total independence. He has generously shared papers and documents, questions and ideas, and enlightening memories and conversations, holding nothing back. He always stands by to help but never stands in the way. His mantra has been “This is your book. Tell the story as you see it.” Like his uncle Thornton, he has a consummate gift for friendship.
    Next I owe an enduring debt to Dr. William Rice III, my friend and physician, whose perceptive, farseeing care has prolonged and enhanced my life. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude to him, or to the following people who have helped me keep on writing: Dr. Samuel Lentz; Dr. Daniel W. Dubovsky; my cousin-in-law Dr. John Moore; Dr. Austin Temple; Dr. Dale Browne; Linda Mock, who helps me hear; and Rick Robinson, who helps me see.
    I am grateful to the Wilder scholars with whom I have worked on various projects: again, the foremost Wilder scholar and archivist, Tappan Wilder; Dr. Jackson R. Bryer; J. D. McClatchy; and especially, Dr. Robin Gibbs Wilder, who has generously and meticulously shared her knowledge of Wilder and his family and of American history and culture. Invaluable contributions to the biography have been made by Catharine “Dixie” Wilder Guiles, and the late Catharine Kerlin Wilder, whose memories, letters, and support I deeply appreciate.
    I am grateful to the following for their contributions to the book in the form of interviews, or letters and documents, or consultation, or questions answered, or research assistance, or photographs, or hospitality, or a combination of those: