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.
The book has been turned into a film thrice: first in 1929, followed by a second version in 1944, and a third version in 2004 directed by Irish director Mary McGuckian and starring Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Kathy Bates, John Lynch and Gabriel Byrne.