The Bridge of San Luis Rey
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The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a 1927 novel by American author Thornton Wilder. It tells the story of several unrelated people who happen to be on the bridge in Peru when it collapses, killing them.
It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and in 1998 it was selected by the editorial board of the American Modern Library as one the 100 best English language novels of the 20th century. The book was quoted by Tony Blair during the memorial service for victims of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Since then its popularity has grown enormously.
Three films have been based on this work:
- 1929
- 1944
- 2004, directed by Irish director Mary McGuckian and starring Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Bates, John Lynch and Gabriel Byrne.
Philosophically, the book explores the problem of evil, or the question of why unfortunate events occur to people who seem "innocent" or "undeserving".