Tennessee Williams found inspiration in his humble family for much of his writing. He was born in
Columbus, Mississippi, in the home of his maternal grandfather, the local
Episcopal rector. (The home is now the Mississippi Welcome Center and tourist office for the city).
By the time Thomas was three, the family had moved to
Clarksdale, Mississippi. At five, he was diagnosed with
diphtheria. It caused his legs to be paralyzed for nearly two years. He could do almost nothing, but his mother encouraged him to make up stories and read. She didn't want him to continue wasting his time. She encouraged him to use his imagination and gave him a typewriter when he was thirteen.
His father Cornelius Williams was a traveling salesman who became increasingly abusive as his children grew older. The father often favored Tennessee's brother Dakin, perhaps because of Tennessee's illness, and extended weakness and convalescence as a child. Tennessee's mother Edwina Dakin Williams had aspirations as a genteel southern lady and was somewhat smothering. She may have had a mood disorder.
In 1918, when Williams was seven, the family moved again, this time to
St. Louis, Missouri. In 1927, at the age of 16, Williams won third prize (five dollars) for an essay published in
Smart Set entitled, "Can a Good Wife Be a Good Sport?" A year later, he published "The Vengeance of
Nitocris" in
Weird Tales.
In the early
1930s Williams attended the
University of Missouri–Columbia, where he joined
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His fraternity brothers dubbed him "Tennessee" for his rich southern drawl. In the late 1930s, Williams transferred to
Washington University in
St. Louis, Missouri for a year, and finally earned a degree from the
University of Iowa in 1938. By then, Williams had written
Cairo, Shanghai, Bombay!. This work was first performed in 1935 at 1780 Glenview, also in Memphis.
Williams lived for a time in the
French Quarter of
New Orleans, Louisiana. He moved there in 1939 to write for the
WPA. He first lived at 722 Toulouse Street, the setting of his 1977 play
Vieux Carré. The building is part of
The Historic New Orleans Collection. He began writing
A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) while living at 632 St. Peter Street. He finished it later in
Key West, Florida, where he moved in the 1940s. ("He lived in a separate building at the home of a family named Black. Mr. Black was an Episcopal minister. George Black, the son, became one of his gay partners, and they were close for many years, even after George and his family moved to Miami.")
Tennessee was close to his sister Rose, a slim beauty whose sad life had perhaps the greatest influence on him. She was diagnosed with
schizophrenia at a young age. As was common then, Rose was institutionalized and spent most of her adult life in mental hospitals. When therapies were unsuccessful, she showed more paranoid tendencies. In an effort to treat her, Rose's parents authorized a
prefrontal lobotomy, a drastic treatment that was thought to help some mental patients who suffered extreme agitation. Performed in 1937 in
Washington, D.C., the operation went badly. Rose was incapacitated for the rest of her life.
Rose's failed lobotomy was a hard blow to Williams. He never forgave their parents for allowing the operation. His sister's severe illness and failed surgery may have contributed to his
alcoholism. They may also have shared a genetic vulnerability, as Williams also suffered from depression.
Williams's relationship with Frank Merlo, a second generation Sicilian American who had served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, lasted from
1947 until Merlo's death from cancer in 1963. With that stability, Williams created his most enduring works. Merlo provided balance to many of Williams' frequent bouts with
depression and the fear that, like his sister Rose, he would go insane.
During the late '50s and '60s, Williams faced harsh reviews from a number of theater critics. Some attacked Williams because of how he lived or portrayed his homosexuality. As Williams matured, his writing became more experimental in works such as "
Out Cry", which further alienated him from critics. The death of his partner Merlo caused Williams to grapple with depression for a decade.
Tennessee Williams died at the age of 71 after he choked on a eyedrop bottle cap in his room at the
Hotel Elysee in New York. He would routinely place the cap in his mouth, lean back, and place his eyedrops in each eye. His brother Dakin and some friends believed he was murdered. The police report, however, suggested his use of drugs and alcohol contributed to his death. Many prescription drugs were found in the room. Williams' lack of gag response may have been due to drugs and alcohol effects.
Williams' funeral took place on Saturday March 3, 1983 at St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church in New York City. Williams' body was interred in the
Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri. Williams had long told his friends he wanted to be buried at sea at approximately the same place as the poet
Hart Crane, as he considered Crane to be one of his most significant influences.
Tennessee Williams left his literary rights to
Sewanee, The University of the South in honor of his grandfather, Walter Dakin, an alumnus of the university. It is located in
Sewanee, Tennessee. The funds support a creative writing program. When his sister Rose died after many years in a mental institution, she bequeathed over 50 million dollars from her part of the Williams estate to
Sewanee, The University of the South as well.
In 1989, the City of St. Louis inducted Tennessee Williams into its
St. Louis Walk of Fame.
