Play script

By: August Wilson

Date: 1986

Source: Wilson, August. Fences. New York: New American Library, 1986, 1–20.

About the Author: August Wilson (1945–), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, dropped out of high school after being accused of plagiarism. He educated himself in a local library. He wrote and submitted poems to literary publications at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1968 he co-founded a theatre company, Black Horizons on the Hill, located in Pittsburgh. He pursued his dream to write first as a poet, and later as a playwright. Wilson draws characters for plays from his life, his environment, and his background. He has won the Pulitzer Prize twice and has been awarded numerous fellowships, including a Guggenheim in 1986.

Introduction

August Wilson provides a voice to those who have been disenfranchised by society. The setting of his plays...