August Wilson: The Unrestrained Voice of Black America


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Authors

  • Arpita Mitra Assistant Professor, Department of English, Murarka College, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bihar, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53032/TCL.2021.5.6.02

Keywords:

Black experience, Black theatre, Diaspora, Race, Slavery

Abstract

August Wilson, one of the most prominent figures in American theatre, explored the experiences of African- American community through his plays. He is best known for his series of ten plays which is collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycle/ Century Cycle/ Decade Cycle. In his works he dealt with the issues related particularly with black life like diaspora, dislocation, racism, slavery, segregation and in general with love, relationships, human predicament,  spirituality, life and death. He used theatre very powerfully to present black life on stage and to raise voice of protest against subjugation of the blacks by the whites. He strongly believed that the black people as a community and their cultural heritage can thrive only if they remain connected to their origin, ancestry, history and the African spiritualism.

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References

Wilson, August. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Theatre Communications Group, 1985.

---. Fences. Theatre Communications Group, 1987.

---. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Theatre Communications Group, 1988.

---. King Hedley II. Theatre Communications Group, 1999.

---. Gem of the Ocean. Theatre Communication Group, 2006.

---. The Ground on which I Stand. Theatre Communication Group, 2001.

Cohen, Robin. Global Diasporas: An Introduction. Routledge, 2008.

Elam, Harry J. The Past as Present in the Drama of August Wilson. University Press of Michigan, 2006.

Elkins, Mary, ed. August Wilson: A Case Book. Routledge, 1994.

Herrington, Joan. I Aint Sorry for Nothing I Done: August Wilson’s Process of Play-writing. Limelight Edition, 2004.

Nadel, Alan. The Theatre of August Wilson. Bloomsbury, 2018.

Oyeleran, Olaspe O. Gem of the Ocean: August Wilson in the Black Diaspora. Third World Press, 2015.

Pereira, Kim. August Wilson and the African-American Odessey. University Press of Illinois, 1996.

Richards, Sandra L. “Yoruba Gods on the American Stage: August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” Research in African Literature, 30.4. (Winter 1999): 92-105.

Shannon, Sandra G. The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson. Howard UP, 1995.

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Published

2021-02-28

How to Cite

Arpita Mitra. “August Wilson: The Unrestrained Voice of Black America”. The Creative Launcher, vol. 5, no. 6, Feb. 2021, pp. 8-14, doi:10.53032/TCL.2021.5.6.02.

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