Robert Bridges
British writer (1844-1930)
August Wilson was an acclaimed American playwright known for his powerful and poetic depictions of the African-American experience in the 20th century. His acclaimed ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ of plays, including Pulitzer Prize winners Fences and The Piano Lesson, have cemented his legacy as one of the greatest playwrights of our time.
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About the August Wilson
August Wilsonwas an American playwright. He has been referred to as the “theater’s poet of Black America”. He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycleand The Piano Lessonand Joe Turner’s Come and Goneand Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020). Denzel Washington has shepherded the films and has vowed to continue Wilson’s legacy by adapting the rest of his plays into films for a wider audience. Washington said, “the greatest part of what’s left of my career is making sure that August is taken care of”.
Frequently Asked Questions
August Wilson was an American playwright who is considered one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. He is best known for his ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ of 10 plays that chronicle the African-American experience throughout the 1900s.
The ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ or ‘Century Cycle’ refers to the series of 10 plays written by August Wilson that depict the African-American experience in the 20th century. Plays in the cycle include Fences and The Piano Lesson, both of which won the Pulitzer Prize.
August Wilson’s plays explored a range of themes, including the systemic exploitation of African Americans, race relations, identity, migration, and racial discrimination. His writing aimed to humanize and give voice to the Black American experience.
Since Wilson’s death in 2005, two of his plays, Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, have been adapted into critically acclaimed films. Actor Denzel Washington has been instrumental in shepherding these film adaptations and has vowed to continue bringing Wilson’s work to a wider audience.
August Wilson was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama for his plays Fences and The Piano Lesson. In 2006, he was also inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century.
9 Quotes by August Wilson
- 1.
Between speeches and awards, you can find something to do every other week. It’s hard to write. Your focus gets splintered. Once you put one thing in your calendar, that month is gone.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 2.
Suffice it to say, I’m not poor.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 3.
I know some things when I start. I know, let’s say, that the play is going to be a 1970s or a 1930s play, and it’s going to be about a piano, but that’s it. I slowly discover who the characters are as I go along.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 4.
Jazz in itself is not struggling. That is, the music itself is not struggling… It’s the attitude that’s in trouble. My plays insist that we should not forget or toss away our history.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 5.
As soon as white folks say a play’s good, the theater is jammed with blacks and whites.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 6.
Blacks have traditionally had to operate in a situation where whites have set themselves up as the custodians of the black experience.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 7.
I first got involved in theater in 1968, at the height of a social tumult. I was a poet.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 8.
For me, the original play becomes an historical document: This is where I was when I wrote it, and I have to move on now to something else.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)
- 9.
All you need in the world is love and laughter. That’s all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other.
August WilsonAmerican playwright (1945-2005)