One Arm and Other Stories

Obviously, most people know Mr. Williams by his many brilliant plays. However, before the award winning plays he wrote short stories. This is a collection of the very earliest stories he wrote. You can read the restraint that was called for in the 1940's, but that doesn't dull the obviously sensual side of his writing. The story "Desire and the Black Masseur" would have been much rougher and more explicit if written now, but it still stands as an over-the top story of love, desire, and death. Great, easy book to read.

'One Arm & Other Stories' (1950) is a collection of eleven short stories by the noted gay dramatist Tennessee Williams and it is a collection that proved well worth this reader's time. Here, Williams reveals his gay themes and lifestyle with a much greater candor and straightforwardness than tend to appear in his plays. Like most quality collections each story in this book is wonderfully evocative of some slice of reality and quickly draws in the reader. At least that was true of this reader. My two favorites in the collection are the title piece 'One Arm', about a one armed hustler on death row, and especially the headbreaking & exquisite tale 'The Angel in the Alcove' about a sick artist in The French Quarter of New Orleans. The latter one will absolutely break your heart. I found it so moving. I was impressed overall with the stories, some more than others but that may have been more the result of personal resonance. Some just really struck a chord. If you're a fan of the playwright of 'A Streecar Named Desire, 'The Rose Tattoo', 'The Sweet Bird of Youth', 'The Glass Menagerie', and so many others as I am - then 'One Arm and Other Stories' is an amazing window to greater understanding into the troubled gay genius behind the dramatist supreme. As a huge admirer of the man's work I found it an endlessly fascinating glimpse into the human spirit...and a view through some of the especially dark windows.