The Cambridge Companion to August Wilson

One of America’s most powerful and original dramatists, August Wilson offered an alternative history of the twentieth century, as seen from the perspective of black Americans. He celebrated the lives of those seemingly pushed to the margins of national life, but who were simultaneously protagonists of their own drama and evidence of a vital and compelling community. Decade by decade, he told the story of a people with a distinctive history who forged their own future, aware of their roots in another time and place, but doing something more than just survive. Wilson deliberately addressed black America, but in doing so discovered an international audience. Alongside chapters addressing Wilson’s life and career, and the wider context of his plays, this Companion dedicates individual chapters to each play in his ten-play cycle, which are ordered chronologically, demonstrating Wilson\'s notion of an unfolding history of the twentieth century.

• Includes an in-depth interview with August Wilson, providing the reader with a fascinating insight into the life and experiences of the playwright • Discusses the cycle of ten plays chronologically, allowing the reader to follow the unfolding story of the twentieth century as seen by Wilson • Situates Wilson’s work within dramatic, social and political contexts

1. August Wilson: the ground on which he stood Christopher Bigsby; 2. Been here and gone John Lahr; 3. August Wilson\'s relationship to black theatre: community, aesthetics, history and race Mary L. Bogumil; 4. Music and mythology in August Wilson\'s plays Kim Pereira; 5. Gem of the Ocean and the redemptive power of history Harry J. Elam Jr.; 6. Joe Turner\'s Come and Gone Samuel A. Hay; 7. Ma Rainey\'s Black Bottom: cutting the historical record, dramatizing a Blues CD Alan Nadel; 8. A piano and its history: family and transcending family Felicia Hardison Londre; 9. The tragedy of Seven Guitars Brenda Murphy; 10. August Wilson\'s Fences Matthew Roudané; 11. Two Trains Running: blood on the tracks Stephen Bottoms; 12. Jitney, folklore and responsibility David Krasner; 13. King Hedley II: in the midst of all this death Joan Herrington; 14. Radio Golf: the courage of his convictions – survival, success and spirituality Margaret Booker; 15. Critics on August Wilson Janice A. and David K. Sauer; An interview with August Wilson Christopher Bigsby.