Wilson, August
1945-2005 · Contribution: 1979-2005
Playwriting; created the ten-play 'Pittsburgh Cycle' (Century Cycle), each drama set in a different decade chronicling the 20th-century African American experience
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
One of America's most acclaimed dramatists; won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice (for 'Fences,' 1987, and 'The Piano Lesson,' 1990) and a Tony Award for 'Fences'; Broadway's Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre in his honor.
Life & background
African-American playwright born April 27, 1945 in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA. Largely self-educated; emerged from the Black Arts movement. His cycle includes 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone,' and 'Radio Golf.' Died Oct 2, 2005.
Sources
- The Boston Globe; The Pulitzer Prizes
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