The Bridge of San Luis Rey

About “The Bridge of San Luis Rey”

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) by Thornton Wilder is a novel about several people who die when a bridge in Peru collapses. The story examines the philosophical question of why bad things happen to good people. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928 and was named one of the 100 best novels of the 20th century by the American Modern Library in 1998. The book was referenced by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2001 during a memorial service for the victims of the September 11 attacks. The novel is considered the beginning of the modern disaster epic, in which a single event connects multiple characters whose lives are revealed through flashbacks.