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August Wilson Quotes


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Quotes by August Wilson

Showing 31-40 of 61 Quotes by August Wilson

My influences have been what I call my four Bs - the primary one being the blues, then Borges, Baraka, and Bearden.

~August Wilson

Topics: Been Being Blues Call Four Influences Primary Then

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It was early on in 1965 when I wrote some of my first poems. I sent a poem to 'Harper's' magazine because they paid a dollar a line. I had an eighteen-line poem, and just as I was putting it into the envelope, I stopped and decided to make it a thirty-six-line poem. It seemed like the poem came back the next day: no letter, nothing.

~August Wilson

Topics: Back Because Came Day Decided Dollar Early Envelope First Had Just Letter Like Line Magazine Make Next Nothing Paid Poem Poems Putting Seemed Sent Some Stopped Wrote

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In 1977, I wrote a series of poems about a character, Black Bart, a former cattle rustler-turned-alchemist. A good friend, Claude Purdy, who is a stage director, suggested I turn the poems into a play.

~August Wilson

Topics: About Black Cattle Character Director Former Friend Good Good Friend Play Poems Series Stage Suggested Turn Who Wrote

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In 1980 I sent a play, 'Jitney,' to the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, won a Jerome Fellowship, and found myself sitting in a room with sixteen playwrights. I remember looking around and thinking that since I was sitting there, I must be a playwright, too.

~August Wilson

Topics: Around Center Fellowship Found Looking Must Myself Play Playwright Playwrights Remember Room Sent Since Sitting Sixteen Thinking Too Won I Remember

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I don't look at our society today too much. My focus is still in the past, and part of the reason is because what I do - the wellspring of art, or what I do - l get from the blues. So I listen to the music of a particular period that I'm working on, and I think inside the music is clues to what is happening with the people.

~August Wilson

Topics: Art Because Blues Clues Focus Get Happening In The Past Inside Listen Look Much Music Our Part Particular Past People Period Reason Society Still Think Today Too Too Much Working I Think

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The blues are important primarily because they contain the cultural expression and the cultural response to blacks in America and to the situation that they find themselves in. And contained in the blues is a philosophical system at work. And as part of the oral tradition, this is a way of passing along information.

~August Wilson

Topics: Along America Because Blacks Blues Contain Contained Cultural Expression Find Important Information Oral Part Passing Philosophical Primarily Response Situation System Themselves Tradition Way Work

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Most of black America is in housing projects, without jobs, living on welfare. And this is not the case in 'The Cosby Show,' because all the values in that household are strictly what I would call white American values.

~August Wilson

Topics: America American American Values Because Black Call Case Cosby Household Housing Jobs Living Most Projects Show Strictly Values Welfare White Without Would

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From Borges, those wonderful gaucho stories from which I learned that you can be specific as to a time and place and culture and still have the work resonate with the universal themes of love, honor, duty, betrayal, etc. From Amiri Baraka, I learned that all art is political, although I don't write political plays.

~August Wilson

Topics: Although Art Betrayal Culture Duty Etc Honor Learned Love Place Plays Political Resonate Specific Still Stories Themes Those Time Universal Which Wonderful Work Write You

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From Romare Bearden I learned that the fullness and richness of everyday life can be rendered without compromise or sentimentality.

~August Wilson

Topics: Compromise Everyday Everyday Life Fullness Learned Life Rendered Richness Sentimentality Without

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I once wrote a short story called 'The Best Blues Singer in the World,' and it went like this: 'The streets that Balboa walked were his own private ocean, and Balboa was drowning.' End of story. That says it all. Nothing else to say. I've been rewriting that same story over and over again. All my plays are rewriting that same story.

~August Wilson

Topics: Again Been Best Blues Drowning Else End His Like Nothing Ocean Once Over Own Plays Private Rewriting Same Same Story Say Says Short Short Story Singer Story Streets Walked Were World Wrote

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Playwright

Born: April 27th, 1945

Died: October 2nd, 2005

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