Gem of the Ocean

August Wilson was an African American playwright, best known for his Century Cycle of 10 plays (alternatively titled the Pittsburgh Cycle), each depicting one decade of the 20th century. The cycle is set primarily in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, the historically Black neighborhood where Wilson himself grew up. Two of these plays were awarded the Pulitzer Prize, Fences in 1987 and The Piano Lesson in 1990.

Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel to an African American mother and a German father in Pittsburgh in 1947. He grew up during the era of Jim Crow laws and widespread institutional racism. Although Wilson was a bright and dedicated student, he experienced so much prejudice during his adolescence that he transferred schools multiple times and ultimately dropped out. He continued his education autodidactically, reading widely and developing an appreciation for African American history and culture.

As a young man, Wilson served in the US Army, worked odd jobs, and began to write poetry. By the late 1960s, Wilson had become part of the burgeoning Black Arts Movement, and he co-founded the Centre Avenue Poets Theatre workshop, where he met many other artists who would become lifelong friends and collaborators. It was during this period that his interest in playwrighting was born.