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Celebrating 100 Years of Tennessee Williams: “This Is: Tennessee Williams & Friends”

NEW YORK, April 12, 2011 –

In honor of Tennessee Williams’ centennial year, Columbia University Libraries and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library are pleased to present “This Is: Tennessee Williams & Friends,” an exhibit highlighting more than four decades of Columbia’s collection of Williams’ materials, including many never-before-seen items.


Tennessee Williams

Drawing from the substantial holdings of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which has been acquiring Williams’ scripts, production materials, photographs, and correspondence since the 1970s, the exhibition shows a wide range of Williams’ work and personal items.

Four of Williams’ typewriters, a selection of his own paintings, his briefcase, a collection of hotel keys, and his address book will be put on public display for the first time.

Also on exhibit will be a collection of scripts, including a number of plays that he wrote during the last twenty years of his life, as well as items Williams’ personally treasured, including an oil portrait of his sister Rose, his Tony Award for “The Rose Tattoo,” and photographs he had at the time of his death.

"Tennessee Williams had extremely complex relationships with his family and friends,” Jennifer B. Lee, Exhibition Curator for the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, said. “The material in this exhibition, which reflects a depth and breadth reached after many years of collecting, gives significant insight into these relationships and how they served as the inspiration behind his plays, poetry, short stories, and paintings."

The exhibit, currently in the Kempner Gallery in the Rare Books and Manuscript Library, will run until July 1, 2011 and include two special events. On April 18, at 6pm in Butler Library, room 523, a panel discussion moderated by Williams’ editor Thomas Keith on “The Late Plays of Tennessee Williams” will feature notable Williams’ scholars Annette Saddick and David Savran, Travis Chamberlain, director of the New York City premiere of “Green Eyes,” and director and curator of the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, David Kaplan. On May 2, at 6pm, John Lahr, senior drama critic for The New Yorker, will give a lecture on “Tennessee Williams and the Out-Crying Heart,” exploring the origins of Williams’ dramatic voice and how it changed over the course of his career. Both events are free and open to the public. 

“This Is: Tennessee Williams & Friends” is open to the public during all RBML hours of operation.  All non-Columbia University visitors will need to bring a valid government-issued photo ID for entry to Butler Library through the Library Information Office, just inside the front door. For entry on Monday evenings after 6pm, please have the Butler Door Guard call the RBML Reference Desk, 212-854-5590.

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library owns over 500,000 rare books in some 20 book collections and almost 28 million manuscripts in nearly 3,000 separate manuscript collections. It is particularly strong in English and American literature and history, classical authors, children‘s literature, education, mathematics and astronomy, economics and banking, photography, the history of printing, New York City politics, librarianship, and the performing arts. Individual collections are as eclectic as they are extensive. For more information, please see: http://library.columbia.edu/indiv/rbml.html

Columbia University Libraries/Information Services is one of the top five academic research library systems in North America. The collections include over 11 million volumes, over 150,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, and graphic and audio-visual materials. The services and collections are organized into 22 libraries and various academic technology centers. The Libraries employs more than 500 professional and support staff. The website of the Libraries is the gateway to its services and resources: library.columbia.edu.

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4/12/11 EHD

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