August Wilson was born April 27,1945 in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother was a black woman with roots from North Carolina, who raised him as a single mother because his German father abandoned the family. He was able to read at age 4 and had a love for literature and hungry for knowledge. However being black and gifted in the 1950s was not well received in Pittsburgh during that time. He quit school at age 16, after being accused of plagiarism of a 20-page report on Napoleon. After leaving school he began to pick up menial jobs around town, and fell under the influence of Black Muslim leaders like Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X. He married 3 times, and found influences of his books in many of the people in his neighborhood. These characters often found their way into his various plays that he would direct and put out all over the city. In the late 1970s Wilson became more acclaimed with his plays, and began working in Minnesota. He received an honorary degree from the University of Pittsburg, and was on the Board of Trustees in from 1992-1995. August Wilson has won several awards across the span of his career, some notables including The Tony and Pulitzer Prize. His works like Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom remain staple in African American Literature, because of their universal approach to depicting Black Americans and their place in 20th century America. August Wilson died October 2,2005 and his legacy has been beautifully displayed across the nation. Broadway is home to the August Wilson Theatre, his hometown of Pittsburgh built an African American center in his name, his childhood home is a landmark, and there is also a street in Seattle named after him. |
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