{"product_id":"stairs-to-the-roof-tennessee-williams-9780811214353","title":"Stairs to the Roof: A Prayer for the Wild of Heart That Are Kept in Cages","description":"Sixty years ago a young Tennessee Williams wrote a play looking toward the year 2001. \u003cem\u003eStairs to the Roof\u003c\/em\u003e is a rare and different Williams' work: a love story, a comedy, an experiment in meta-theater, with a touch of early science fiction. Tennessee Williams called \u003cem\u003eStairs to the Roof\u003c\/em\u003e \"a prayer for the wild of heart who are kept in cages\" and dedicated it to \"all the little wage earners of the world.\" It reflects the would-be poet's \"season in hell\" during the Depression when he had to quit college to type orders eight hours a day at the International Shoe Factory in St. Louis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eStairs\u003c\/em\u003e is Williams' revenge, expressed through his alter ego, Benjamin Murphy, the clerk who stages a one-man rebellion against the clock, the monotony of his eight-to-five job, and all the dehumanizing forces of an increasingly mechanized and commercial society. Ben's swift-moving series of fantastic adventures culminate in an escape from the ordinary that is an endorsement of the American dream. In 1941 with the world at war and civilization in danger of collapse, Williams dared to imagine a utopian future as Ben leads us up his stairs towards the Millennium.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eStairs to the Roof\u003c\/em\u003e was produced only twice, once at the Playbox in Pasadena, California, in 1945, and subsequently at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1947. Now, in an edition meticulously prepared by noted Williams scholar Allean Hale, Williams fans can share this play of youthful optimism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Tennessee Williams\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0811214354\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780811214353\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New Directions Publishing Corporation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/17\/2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.28lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.97h x 5.20w x 0.33d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2000","brand":"Tennessee Williams","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44056909545727,"sku":"9780811214353","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_edaf3ed3-acb0-462d-ad83-f2fb91463387.jpg?v=1685043942","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/stairs-to-the-roof-tennessee-williams-9780811214353","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}