| |
| |
Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Thornton Wilder
A college production of "Our Town," starring the playwright Thornton Wilder as Stage Manager in 1950.
THORNTON WILDER
Awarded by
President John F. Kennedy
December 6, 1963
Artist of rare gaiety and penetration, he has inscribed a noble vision in his books, making the commonplaces of life yield the wit, the wonder and the steadfastness of the human adventure.
Thornton Wilder poses as the character Mr. Antrobus in his play The Skin of Our Teeth
Playwright Thornton Wilder Was Born April 17, 1897
So much of human experience is universal; people living a world away go through many of the same conflicts, emotions, and lessons that you do. Thornton Wilder sought to show this in his books and stage plays. Born April 17, 1897, in Madison, Wisconsin, Wilder is one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century. Author of seven novels, three plays, many essays, one-act plays, and articles, he is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both literature and drama.
Wilder's writing puts humankind under a magnifying glass. In his Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Skin of Our Teeth (1943), he looks at war, disease, poverty, and the destruction caused by fire. His other prize-winning play, Our Town (1937), takes place in a fictional town called Grover's Corner, New Hampshire, perhaps much like the town in this photograph. The play again focuses on the universality of human experience. What human experiences can you think of that are universal? Ask your family if they have ever seen a play or read a novel by Thornton Wilder.
|
|
|
|
|
Medal History
