The woman of Andros
by Thornton Wilder (1897–1975)
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The Woman of Andros is a 1930 novel by Thornton Wilder. Inspired by Andria, a comedy by Terence, it was the third-best selling book in the United States in 1930.
The novel is set on the fictional Greek island of Brynos in the pre-Christian era, probably around 200 B.C. (i.e., in the decline of Greece's golden age though the novel does not give an explicit date) The book examines conflicts between Christian and pre-Christian morality.
Though some reviews considered the novel a masterpiece, others were more critical. This was the first time that Wilder's work received any significant negative critical response. Mike Gold's review in The New Republic faulted Wilder for not addressing modern social issues. (This summary is from Wikipedia.)
- Historical fiction
- Man-woman relationships
- Courtesans
- Shepherds
- Greece · Social life and customs
Read the opening
Transcriber’s Note: Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: italics.
BY
THORNTON WILDER
COPYRIGHT, 1930, BY
ALBERT & CHARLES BONI, INC.
The first part of this novel is based upon the Andria, a comedy of Terence who in turn based his work upon two Greek plays, now lost to us, by Menander.
The earth sighed as it turned in its course; the shadow of night crept gradually along the Mediterranean, and Asia was left in darkness. The great cliff that was one day to be called Gibraltar held for a long time a gleam of red and orange, while across from it the mountains of Atlas showed deep blue pockets in their shining sides. The caves that surround the Neapolitan gulf fell into a profounder shade, each giving forth from the darkness its chiming or its booming sound. Triumph had passed from Greece and wisdom from Egypt, but with the coming on of night they seemed to regain their lost honors, and the land that was soon to be called Holy prepared in the dark its wonderful burden. The sea was large enough to hold a varied weather: a storm played about Sicily and its smoking mountains, but at the mouth of the Nile the water lay like a wet pavement. A fair tripping breeze ruffled the Aegean and all the islands of Greece felt a new freshness at the close of day.
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About this edition
This free edition of The woman of Andros by Thornton Wilder comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #78024, released 2026-02-23. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer.
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