August Wilson
He gave the 20th century African American experience an epic, poetic voice through ten monumental plays set in his native Pittsburgh.
1945–2005 (age 60)·American playwright·Birthday: April 27·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born Frederick August Kittel in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, August Wilson's early life was shaped by poverty, his mother's resilience, and the rich oral culture of his neighborhood. He left school at 15 after a false accusation of plagiarism, educating himself in the city's libraries and on the streets. After co-founding the Black Horizon Theater, he found his calling not in poetry or activism alone, but in the theater. Wilson dedicated himself to writing a cycle of ten plays, one for each decade, that would document the Black experience in America with the force of Greek tragedy and the rhythm of the blues. His work, championed by director Lloyd Richards, brought the lives of garbagemen, piano owners, and blues singers to Broadway with unprecedented depth, winning two Pulitzer Prizes and forcing American theater to confront its own narratives.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
August was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When August Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
August's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
Key Achievements
- Wrote the ten-play 'Pittsburgh Cycle,' chronicling African American life across the 20th century.
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for both 'Fences' (1987) and 'The Piano Lesson' (1990).
- Earned a Tony Award for Best Play for 'Fences' in 1987.
- Was a two-time recipient of the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.
- His work ensured a permanent and central place for Black stories and voices on the American stage.
Did You Know?
He changed his name from Frederick August Kittel to August Wilson to honor his mother after his father's death.
He wrote his early plays on napkins and scraps of paper in diners.
He was a high school dropout who later received honorary degrees from numerous universities.
He was an avid blues record collector, which deeply influenced the musicality of his dialogue.
He insisted on having a Black director for the film adaptation of his play 'Fences,' which led to Denzel Washington directing.
“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”
