August Wilson was not nearly as prolific. He broke through with “Jitney” in 1982 when he was 37, and followed with a staggering burst of creativity. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Fences,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “The Piano Lesson” all tumbled out of his typewriter over the next five years. Wilson created just five more plays before being claimed by liver cancer at age 60 in 2005. However, those 10 plays are considered among the premier works of American drama in the last 50 years, offering illuminating explorations of the issues the Black community confronted in the 20th century.
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August Wilson was not nearly as prolific. He broke through with “Jitney” in 1982 when he was 37, and followed with a staggering burst of creativity. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Fences,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “The Piano Lesson” all tumbled out of his typewriter over the next five years. Wilson created just five more plays before being claimed by liver cancer at age 60 in 2005. However, those 10 plays are considered among the premier works of American drama in the last 50 years, offering illuminating explorations of the issues the Black community confronted in the 20th century.