The Bridge of San Luis Rey
NovelAbout
The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a novel by Thornton Wilder, published in 1927. It tells the story of a catastrophic event: the collapse of a centuries-old rope bridge in Peru on July 20, 1714, which claims the lives of five people. Witnessed by Brother Juniper, a Franciscan friar, this tragedy sets him on a quest to understand why such a disaster occurred. He spends six years researching the lives of the victims, hoping to find evidence of divine providence. The novel explores themes of fate, love, and human connection through the lives of its characters, including the Marquesa de Montemayor and Uncle Pio. Despite Brother Juniper's efforts, his findings are deemed heretical, leading to his tragic end. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928 and remains a celebrated work of American literature, probing questions of chance and divine will in a world seeking meaning amidst tragedy.
