“From the earliestpages of his first novels and plays, Wilder examined the universal quandariesencapsulated in the questions the young man Pamphilus asks in The Woman ofAndros: “How does one live? What does one do first?” — Penelope Niven

Thornton Wilder’s celebrated novel TheWoman of Andros, set before the birth of Christ on an obscureGreek island, tells the story of the enigmatic Chrysis, a courtesan (and anoutcast) of haunting beauty and intelligence. In her gatherings with the youngmen of the island, Chrysis probes what is precious about life, and how we live,love, and die in a harsh world, themes that Wilder revisited eight years laterin his play, Our Town.Pamphilus, the only son of a prominent villager, fathers a baby out of wedlockwith Chrysis’s sister, whom he wants to marry. The questions faced byPamphilus, his family and the other “respectable” citizens of the island alsoexplore themes of social class and status.