In the Mirror Darkly

August Wilson is not the only Black playwright to write in the 20th century. He is however – thanks to his cycle of 10 plays on the 20th century – the standard bearer for excellence.

Wilson, always a sensitive soul, sometimes felt the need to respond publicly to criticism of his work. Robert Brustein, a theater critic (The New Republic), was by then the ousted founder of the Yale Rep., who made Wilson‘s plays a frequent target.

Together Wilson and Brustein would come to a war of words over Wilson, his plays, the merits of Black narrative, and the construct of American theater. The opening salvo was fired by Wilson in a keynote address at a national theater conference. Brustein returned fire in the press. This fascinating culture war, would rage on long after both men “shuffled from this mortal coil.”