Central Library’s Brown Baggers discussed Thornton Wilder’s “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” on Sept. 18th.  For most of our readers, it was their first time reading Wilder, who is best known for his play “Our Town”. 

Five lives are lost in an Act of God when a bridge collapses in 18th century Peru.  Franciscan Brother Juniper, who witnessed the collapse,  wonders why these 5 souls were taken?    Do we live and die by accident or by God’s plan?  Is life random or is there a divine purpose to our lives? Why are the lives of some  innocent, good and moral people cut short, while others of presumed bad moral character go on to live long lives?

A slim volume of fiction, San Luis Rey has won the 1928 Pulitzer prize and has never gone out of print!  Brown Baggers discussed why the book has won such accolades and had ongoing popularity.   It’s well written, timeless and  addresses profound issues and continually resonates with universal themes as humans search for the meaning of life.

Russell Banks in the forward to the 2014 Modern Classics edition says ”this book is as close to a perfect moral fable as we are ever likely to get”. It’s a different reading experience depending on when you read it (what age). It’s recommended to “read it every 20 years so that you someday value the depth of understanding as well as the wisdom Wilder brought to exploring the sustaining power of memory and love”  (from the afterword by Tappan Wilder of the 2014 edition). 

“The Bridge of San Luis Rey” is frequently part of high school reading lists, yet our readers thought  high school students have no context /are too young for the themes and meaning of the book to resonate.

Wilder seems to be telling us that everything that happens in life is totally random and that relationships and love are the only rewards in life and what makes life meaningful.

The Catholic church condemned this book due to Wilder’s criticism of the church and portrayal of certain church officials.