"On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below."
First line of "The Bridge of San Luis Rey," by Thornton Wilder (1897-1975)
Thornton Wilder's 1927 novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" opens on a scorching noon, high above a cavernous gorge near Lima, Peru. Set in the golden age of the 18th-century Spanish colonial empire, its exotic characters include a great actress of the stage, a drunken marquesa, an obs
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.