August Wilson's Fences

<i>Fences</i> represents the decade of the 1950s and when it premiered in 1985 it won the Pulitzer Prize. Set during the beginnings of the civil rights movement it also concerns generational change and renewal ending with a celebration of the life of its protagonist even though it takes place at his funeral. Critics and scholars have lauded August Wilson's work for its universality and its ability especially in <i>Fences</i> to transcend racial barriers and this play helped to earn him the titles of America's greatest playwright and the African American Shakespeare.