The Bridge of San Luis Rey

By: Thornton Wilder

Narrated by: Ian Porter

‘There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.’

Published to worldwide acclaim in 1927, and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a profoundly moving and philosophical work that examines the meaning of life, death and fate.

Set in eighteenth-century Peru, Wilder’s masterpiece opens with the collapse of a rope bridge, sending five unsuspecting travellers to their deaths. In the aftermath, Brother Juniper, a Franciscan monk who was about to cross the bridge himself, sets out to understand why these particular individuals perished – was it chance, or part of a divine plan? As he pieces together the lives of the victims, their interwoven stories unfold in richly drawn portraits of passion, devotion, ambition and quiet tragedy. Elegantly crafted, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a timeless exploration of human connection and spiritual inquiry – one that continues to resonate with readers nearly a century after its publication.

Thornton Wilder (1897 – 1975) was an American novelist, playwright and lecturer. Over the course of his career Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize three times, became a visiting professor at Harvard University and served in the US Army Air Force to great success. Today, he is remembered for his plays, Our Town and The Skin of our Teeth.

Public Domain (P)2025 SNR Audio