August Wilson's American Century: Life as Art
Laurence Glasco
University of Pittsburgh Press
In August Wilson’s American Century: Life as Art, Laurence A. Glasco draws on Wilson’s early poetry, archival material, and original interviews with family members, neighbors, and friends to show how the city of Pittsburgh and its residents shaped the playwright and his work. Wilson’s overlapping identities as an outsider, warrior, race man, and poet helped him persevere in the face of setbacks, weave real-life observations with his poetry to craft memorable dialogue and compelling characters, and portray the realities of race in America in ways that have resonated with theatergoers and readers ever since.