Feed Your Mind: The Story of August Wilson

Feed Your Mind: A Story of August Wilson

by Jen Bryant

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	29090 KB
Print length	:	48 pages
Lending	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported

FREE

August Wilson was an American playwright who wrote about the African-American experience in the 20th century. His plays are known for their powerful language, their exploration of complex characters, and their use of music and movement. Wilson won two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, for Fences (1985) and The Piano Lesson (1990). He also received a Tony Award for Best Play for Fences. Wilson's work has been praised for its honesty, its compassion, and its ability to illuminate the human condition.

Early Life and Career

August Wilson was born on April 27, 1945, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the fourth of six children born to Daisy Wilson, a cleaning woman, and Frederick Wilson, a cook. Wilson's father left the family when Wilson was young, and his mother struggled to make ends meet. Wilson attended public schools in Pittsburgh, and he began writing poetry and plays at an early age. After graduating from high school, Wilson worked a variety of jobs, including as a janitor, a steelworker, and a cab driver. He also continued to write, and in 1968 he published his first play, Recycle.

In 1970, Wilson moved to New York City, where he joined the Black Arts Movement. The Black Arts Movement was a cultural movement that sought to promote the work of African-American artists and writers. Wilson became involved in the movement through his work with the New Lafayette Theatre, a black theater company in Harlem. In 1975, Wilson's play Black Bart and the Sacred Hills was produced at the New Lafayette Theatre. The play was a critical success, and it helped to establish Wilson as a major playwright.

The Pittsburgh Cycle

In the 1980s, Wilson began to write a series of plays that explored the African-American experience in Pittsburgh. The plays, which are known as the Pittsburgh Cycle, are set in different decades of the 20th century. The plays explore a variety of themes, including racism, poverty, and the struggle for identity. The Pittsburgh Cycle includes the following plays:

• Gem of the Ocean (1995)
• Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1986)
• Fences (1985)
• The Piano Lesson (1990)
• Two Trains Running (1990)
• Seven Guitars (1995)
• King Hedley II (1999)

The Pittsburgh Cycle is one of the most important works of American theater. The plays are powerful and moving, and they offer a unique perspective on the African-American experience.

Later Career and Death

In the 1990s, Wilson continued to write plays that explored the African-American experience. He also wrote several screenplays, including the 1992 film August Wilson's Seven Guitars. In 2005, Wilson was diagnosed with liver cancer. He died on October 2, 2005, at the age of 60.

Legacy

August Wilson is considered one of the most important American playwrights of the 20th century. His plays are powerful and moving, and they offer a unique perspective on the African-American experience. Wilson's work has been praised for its honesty, its compassion, and its ability to illuminate the human condition. Wilson's plays continue to be performed around the world, and they continue to inspire and move audiences.

Feed Your Mind: A Story of August Wilson

by Jen Bryant

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	29090 KB
Print length	:	48 pages
Lending	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported

FREE