•Lived from 1945-2005
•Raised in impoverished Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
•Lived in a two-room apartment without hot water or a telephone
•Raised by his African American mother after his German father abandoned the family
•Raised in impoverished Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
•Lived in a two-room apartment without hot water or a telephone
•Raised by his African American mother after his German father abandoned the family
•Moved to a mostly white suburb of Pittsburgh after his mother remarried
•Stopped attending school at 15 when he was falsely accused of plagiarizing a paper
•Spent his time at the local library , learning to love books and jazz music
•Considered his education “informal”
•Stopped attending school at 15 when he was falsely accused of plagiarizing a paper
•Spent his time at the local library , learning to love books and jazz music
•Considered his education “informal”
•Kicked out of the house by his mother for “lacking direction”
•Enlisted in the army for one year
•Wrote poetry and then turned his poetic eye towards plays
•Won many awards for his plays, including two Pulitzer prizes
•Enlisted in the army for one year
•Wrote poetry and then turned his poetic eye towards plays
•Won many awards for his plays, including two Pulitzer prizes
Plays Written By August Wilson
1900s - Gem of the Ocean
1910s - Joe Turner's Come and Gone
1920s - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
1930s - The Piano Lesson
1940s - Seven Guitars
1950s - Fences
1960s - Two Trains Running
1970s - Jitney
1980s - King Hedley II
1990s - Radio Golf
1900s - Gem of the Ocean
1910s - Joe Turner's Come and Gone
1920s - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
1930s - The Piano Lesson
1940s - Seven Guitars
1950s - Fences
1960s - Two Trains Running
1970s - Jitney
1980s - King Hedley II
1990s - Radio Golf