Who was August Wilson?
August Wilson (1945-2005) grew from an impoverished boy in Pittsburgh’s Hill District to a renowned playwright and literary giant who won a Tony Award and two Pulitzer Prizes. His work includes the “Pittsburgh Cycle,” which uniquely comprises ten plays, one for each decade of the 20th Century. Nine of the plays, including Pulitzer Prize winners “The Piano Lesson” and “Fences,” are set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, giving this neighborhood a mythic literary presence. Wilson founded the Black Horizon Theater and Kuntu Writers Workshop in Pittsburgh. Both remain active today.
