August Wilson
About the artist
August Wilson (1945–2005) was an American playwright widely regarded as one of the most important dramatists of the 20th century. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he is best known for «The Pittsburgh Cycle» (also called the Century Cycle), a series of ten plays, each set in a different decade of the 20th century, chronicling the African American experience.
His best-known works include «Fences», «The Piano Lesson», «Ma Rainey's Black Bottom» and «Joe Turner's Come and Gone». «Fences» and «The Piano Lesson» each won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, cementing Wilson's reputation as a master of vernacular dialogue, family drama and historically grounded storytelling. His plays combine everyday speech with a poetic, almost musical rhythm, often built around blues and jazz sensibilities that reflect the music of the eras he depicts.
Wilson's work has been staged extensively on Broadway and in regional theaters, and several of his plays, including «Fences», have been adapted for film and audio formats, giving audiences access to excerpts, scenes and background material such as character and setting notes alongside the original stage texts. His legacy continues to shape American theater's engagement with race, history and community.