With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Eugene O'Neill
Drama
1888 – 1953
Playwright and winner of the 1936 Nobel Prize for Literature, Eugene O’Neill spent summers in his youth at the family’s only permanent home, a modest house overlooking the Thames River in New London.
- Biography/Description of Work
Accompanying his actor father in the winter theater season, O’Neill spent most summers through the age of 21, and the years 1911-14 at Monte Cristo Cottage. Not only did he write early plays here, but it inspired the setting for ‘Ah Wilderness’ and ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night.’ The National Historic Landmark nomination offers more insight into O’Neill’s work and the cottage’s inspiration. During the New Deal in the 1930s, O’Neill was already established and took less in royalties for his 1920 play “Emperor Jones,” enabling it to travel. The production featured Paul Robeson in one of his early roles and made a stop at the Wadsworth Atheneum.
- Sources view
- O’Neill, Eugene Gladstone, biography. Accessed at: http://www.eoneill.com/biography.htm .
Preston, Edmund. 1971. Monte Cristo Cottage/Eugene O’Neill House National Register Nomination No. 71001010. National Park Service. - Associated Resource(s)