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'Leading Men' Re-Imagines The Relationship Between Tennessee Williams And His Lover Frank Merlo

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In his new novel, Boston author Christopher Castellani re-imagines the love between playwright Tennessee Williams and his lover, Frank Merlo.

The two met in Provincetown in the late 1940s and continued a relationship until the early '60s. During their time together, Williams wrote some of his best-known works, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth. 

Their time together is the inspiration for "Leading Men," Castellani's fourth novel, which mixes history with fiction.

Playwright Tennessee Williams is photographed in his Manhattan apartment on March 21, 1980. Williams is the winner of four New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, 1947 and 1955, and he is an author of more than 20 major and minor dramas since 1934. (AP Photo/Marty Reichenthal)
Playwright Tennessee Williams is photographed in his Manhattan apartment on March 21, 1980. Williams is the winner of four New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, 1947 and 1955, and he is an author of more than 20 major and minor dramas since 1934. (AP Photo/Marty Reichenthal)

Guest

Christopher Castellani, author of "Leading Men" and artistic director of Grub Street. He tweets @cdcastellani.

Castellani will speak at Stoneham Public Library at 7:00 p.m. on May 9. He'll also discuss his book with Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers, at Twenty Summers in Provincetown on May 31.

This article was originally published on May 06, 2019.

This segment aired on May 6, 2019.

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