Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire

Arthur Miller

Robert Bray

E. Browne

Fading southern belle Blanche DuBois is adrift in the modern world. When she arrives to stay with her sister Stella in a crowded, boisterous corner of New Orleans, her delusions of grandeur bring her into conflict with Stella's crude, brutish husband Stanley Kowalski. Eventually their violent collision course causes Blanche's fragile sense of identity to crumble, threatening to destroy her sanity and her one chance of happiness.

Tennessee Williams's steamy and shocking landmark drama, recreated as the immortal film starring Marlon Brando, is one of the most influential plays of the twentieth century.

giuli

BLANCHE: Sorrow makes for sincerity, I think. 

BLANCHE: The little there is belongs to people who have experienced some sorrow.

BLANCHE: What you are talking about is brutal desire - just -Desirel - the name of that rattle-trap streetcar that bangs through the Quarter, up one old narrow street and down another.. 

STELLA: Haven't you ever ridden on that streetcar? 

BLANCHE: It brought me here.- Where I'm not wanted and where Im ashamed to be...

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire is the tale of a catastrophic confrontation between fantasy and reality, embodied in the characters of Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. 'I have always depended on the kindness of strangers' Fading southern belle Blanche DuBois is adrift in the modern world. When she arrives to stay with her sister Stella in a crowded, boisterous corner of New Orleans, her delusions of grandeur bring her into conflict with Stella's crude, brutish husband Stanley Kowalski. Eventually their violent collision course causes Blanche's fragile sense of identity to crumble, threatening to destroy her sanity and her one chance of happiness. Tennessee Williams's steamy and shocking landmark drama, recreated as the immortal film starring Marlon Brando, is one of the most influential plays of the twentieth century. This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Arthur Miller. 'Lyrical and poetic and human and heartbreaking and memorable and funny' Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather 'One of the greatest American plays' Observer

orla matheson 

a play in three acts

A streetcar named Desire

Wes Michaud

It was better then the great Gatsby. The husband is a ass

So insane??? Especially for the time it was written. Favorite book and movie I fear

Rach

reading ahead for english >> i cannot with the plot but the writing is so so good.

Penny Devereux 

Emmm :p

heleen de boever

What brutality, what beautiful, poignant brutality. If it weren't for those ridiculous stage directions it'd be too much. Oh and I kept thinking this would make such a good novel.

Filled with iconic quotes, dynamic characters and a tragic story, A Streetcar Named Desire is meant to be seen, not read. But I enjoyed this read and could hear the voices of the characters come to life. This play has a lot of symbolism, from the loss of youth to the tragedies of womanhood. There are layers to it, and I found myself reading between the lines to discover more from the text than if I were watching this play. It has depth, and though it is tragic, there is beauty here. 

Amanda

i think i liked cat in a hot tin roof better

Kwan Ann Tan

So very heartbreaking. Not only a picture of the dissolution of a person, but also a cross-sectional look at social standards, cruelty, and of love.

Ava Dysarz

Trever

(4.5) God this was good but really, really sad. Be warned: at least half of the scenes end with someone crying. Still, Streetcar is a great modern tragedy in most senses, like  The Heart of the Matter, although Aristotle would find it better because Blanche is even more pathetic than Scobie. Williams is definitely a master of modern theatre.

Fraser Simons

Probably nothing new to say about this? I love the dialogue (some truly beautiful, poetic lines) and the major themes. It’s decidedly dated in some ways while remaining scarily relevant in others. The patriarchy certainly hasn’t gotten any better.

Set in St. Louis during the Depression of the 1930s, this work is a personal account of the author's family and its gradual disintegration as it succumbed to external and internal pressures.

A Streetcar Named Desire and Other Plays

Shannon Arputharaj

It will only be worth your time and effort if you read it for more than it is. If you go into with a shallow vision it'll be stupid and bland; however, if you approach it with an open mind and delve deeper into it, it will be great.

Barbara Williford

I listened to the audible. Not what I was expecting! I was expecting an audible book but instead got an audible theater. The story was well written and well acted. Blanche shows up at her sister Stella’s apartment unexpected in New Orleans. As the sisters renew their relationship, Blanche’s history begins to be revealed and it sends her down a rabbit hole.

allison moler

Miller's rich perspective on Williams's singular style of poetic dialogue, sensitive characters, and dramatic violence makes this a unique and valuable new edition of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Autumn 

Well, that was just horrible. It wasn't bad obviously but it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience to read this.

Caroline Lewicki

I listened to this as an audiobook and I think I'll listen to every play as an audiobook from here on out. It was a great way to really feel what was going on. I thought A Streetcar Named Desire was interesting and I can definitely see why it's considered one of the classics!

Tori W.

it was ok but the ending disappointed me a lot... I'm just not a play reader i guess:/

Amy Grieve

Read this for my English Lit A-level and I just couldn't get enough of it. Each week the entire class wanted to read more and more. Such a short enjoyable play.

Toni Turner

Alex lent me this book to read and I actually really enjoyed it. It was fast and simple and had a very interesting plot with weird characters woven through. Nice time.

Alexia

A Streetcar Named Desire was one of those classic films I’ve had on my “to watch” list since I can remember. Although I’m a Brando fan, I didn’t want to watch him in the role that made him a star without having read the play first.
When I heard that the National Theatre was going to stream the new adaptation, I thought it was the perfect time to do a triple review of sorts.
Here’s what I experienced:
I loved the play, which I believe was way ahead of its time, so I had high expectations for the movie, and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I loved it even more, seeing it come to life through amazing interpretations, particularly Vivien Leigh’s. The next day I watched the most recent version, and I have to admit I didn’t like that one. It almost felt disrespectful, but I can’t quite grasp why. I think the adaptation tried too hard to be modern, which made it somewhat charicaturesque.
Every play by Tennessee Williams I read confirms that he may be one of my favorite playwrights. I definitely recommend the play and the movie, especially read and watched in that order, just like I did.

Caitlyn DeRouin

Maytal

Pretty sure we were made to read this in high school where I did not absorb or clue in to any of it. I really enjoyed this, and now would love to see it on the stage.

A Streetcar Named Desire

Reviews

Highlights