Thornton Wilder’s three short novels, published in four years between 1926 and 1930, established his international reputation as a writer and made him, by his early thirties, a wealthy man.
The Cabala (1926), Wilder’s first novel and always one of his favorites, was a stunning critical success. His third, The Woman of Andros (1930), became a notable bestseller. Both novels, however, were quickly overshadowed by the staggering critical and popular success of the novel in the middle: the Pulitzer Prize–winning, worldwide-overnight-sensation, The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927).
Thornton was in his midforties when I was born. Ever since I can remember, I was aware that my uncle was “famous”—far better known for his drama than his fiction. All I knew of The Cabala and The Woman of Andros was that they occupied shelf space in my father’s quiet, second-floor study.
My uncle, always of an acquisitive nature, was a potent mixture of the creative, scholarly and entertaining. He had taught French, the Classics (Greek, Roman, and our own), worked easily in four languages, read sheet music as a hobby, was always eager to see how you reacted to his reading of a new play-in-the-making, and even offered to read my term papers (an offer I gently passed up). Family gatherings were infrequent, yet highly anticipated when Thornton was present. His conversation, curiosity, and entertaining stories created an exhilarating buzz in the room. Thornton Wilder was theater.
I took over the care of his literary works in 1995. My first priority was to put out-of-print novels back in print. The Cabala and The Woman of Andros (which Harper & Row had first issued in a single volume in 1968) were on that list. As I learned more about Thornton’s works, I decided to add to each of the seven novels Afterwords that explored highlights of the “why, how, and where” of each story, their critical reception and sales, and the record of reader interest through the years. In researching The Cabala and The Woman of Andros, I discovered the magnificent literary explosion that Thornton experienced between 1926 and 1930. An added dividend of this discovery was having the opportunity to understand how Wilder used his profound knowledge of the classics and his religious questioning. In these early novels there was an artistic well that he would draw from again and again across his six-decade career as an artist.
It has been a great pleasure to live part of my life overseeing my uncle’s work, to have known people he touched during his lifetime, and to meet those inspired by his words since. On this journey with Thornton, I have come to recognize many autobiographical elements in the novels, plays, and nonfiction of this buoyant, entertaining, and yet lonely figure. And in the end, while I still wonder if I really knew him, I can always say, as I often do, that he is very good company.
Welcome to The Cabala and The Woman of Andros, where it all began—with a big bang!
For their defining contributions to this edition, I thank Barbara Hogenson, Thornton Wilder’s literary agent, Rosey Strub, manager of his intellectual property, and Patricia Bacon. It is also a special pleasure to salute Jennifer Civiletto who, in her role as Wilder’s HarperCollins editor, has led the Wilder novels and major dramas into the Thornton Wilder Library editions as well as their appearance in entrancing audio form. Sadly, Penelope Niven did not live to see this edition. But her invaluable Introduction to its first iteration more than stands the test of time. Dr. Stephen J. Rojcewicz Jr.’s new material in the Readings helps further elucidate Wilder’s use of the classics, and I am grateful to him for his addition to this edition. Citations for Dr. Rojcewicz’s study, Thornton Wilder, Classical Reception, and American Literature, and Niven’s definitive biography, Thornton Wilder: A Life, are included in the Afterword’s bibliographical note.
Tappan Wilder
Sausalito, CA
February 2022