Living Legends
many, he refuses to write inside the boundaries. His writing defies convention while embracing it, much like Arthur Miller's.
August Wilson (Pittsburgh, PA) has been hailed as the Great Chronicler of the black race in America. His cycle of plays detailing life of the blacks in each decade is certainly admirable, but I think overshadows the actual meat of his writing. I don't like to think of Wilson's writing as historical or journalistic, because it really is neither. Instead, he has been able to successfully take these decades and these ever-changing conditions and hammer them into some damn impressive plays.
King Hedley II has a virtual lock on the Tony Award for good reason (and no, it's not Brian Stokes Mitchell, though could that hurt?). It is the best piece of writing from this playwriting giant. Whether it's Fences, Seven Guitars, or The Piano Lesson, I have yet to see an August Wilson play fail. And this is a true testament, because I'm not sure I can say the same of any other writer on the list. Certainly, his writing is more powerful than a newspaper or encyclopia article. It has depth and technique (that evil word) that is pushed to the extremes by his talent.
Next week: Henry David Hwang, Beth Henley, Wendy Wasserstein, Paula Vogel, and William Mastrosimone.
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