August Wilson - Definition and Overview

August Wilson (1945) is a Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright, who has achieved widespread acclaim for his stage plays, which focus primarily on the African American experience in the 20th century. His most famous plays are Fences (1987) (which won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award), The Piano Lesson (1990) (awarded with the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

In 2004 he was awarded the Freedom of Speech Award at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

Works

August Wilson has stated his intention to create a ten-play cycle, one covering each decade of the 20th century. These decades are provided below.

• 1900s - Gem of the Ocean (2003)
• 1910s - Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1984)
• 1920s - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1982)
• 1930s - The Piano Lesson (1986) - Pulitzer Prize
• 1940s - Seven Guitars (1995)
• 1950s - Fences (1985) - Pulitzer Prize
• 1960s - Two Trains Running (1990)
• 1970s - Jitney (1982)
• 1980s - King Hedley II (2001)
• 1990s - Radio Golf (preimere announced for April 2005 at the Yale Repertory Theatre)