LITERATURE: Eugene O'Neill 1936 - New London, CT, USA - Nobel Laureates on Waymarking.com

A 27" by 16" by 35" bronze statue of Eugene O'Neill rests in an area approximately 2.5' by 5.5' by 5.75'. O'Neill, depicted as a seven year old boy, is based on a photograph taken in 1895. He is seated on the large boulder with legs outstretched. O'Neill is wearing knickers, high top shoes, a jacket, collarless shirt, and Eton cap. He is holding a writing pad in his left hand and he is drawing on it with a pencil held in his right hand.

The statue was created by Norman Legassie in 1988 and erected to commemorate the centennial of O'Neill's birth, who was born in New York City on October 16, 1888.

A sign next to the monument contains the following information:

This statue was donated to the people of New London on Ocober 16, 1988 to commemorate the centennial of Eugene O'Neill's birth. The idea for the statue was inspired by the above photograph showing O'Neill as a boy on the New London Waterfront in 1895.

The Monte Cristo Cottage on 325 Pequot Avenue was his boyhood home He was the only American dramatist to win the Nobel Prize and four Pulitzer Prizes. O'Neill was the first American playwright to gain international acclaim and stands with Chekhov, Ibsen, and Shaw as a master of modern drama. His plays include: The Hairy Ape, The Emperor Jones, Beyond the Horizon, Anna Christie, Strange interlude, Desire under the Elms, Mourning Becomes Electra, Ah, Wilderness, the Iceman Commeth and A Long Days Journey Into Night.

This statue was commissioned by George C. White, and finding made possible by:

Eugene O'Neill Centennial Committee
Marine Commerce and Development Committee
Frank Loomis Palmer Fund
Connecticut State Commission on the Arts
The City of New London