Lorraine Hansberry – författare

"Never before, in the entire history of the American theater, has so much of the truth of Black people's lives been seen on the stage," observed James Baldwin shortly before A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway in 1959.This edition presents the fully restored, uncut version of Hansberry's landmark work with an introduction by Robert Nemiroff.Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning drama about the hopes and aspirations of a struggling, working-class family living on the South Side of Chicago connected profoundly with the psyche of Black America—and changed American theater forever. The play's title comes from a line in Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem," which warns that a dream deferred might "dry up/like a raisin in the sun.""The events of every passing year add resonance to A Raisin in the Sun," said The New York Times. "It is as if history is conspiring to make the play a classic."

"Come to A Raisin in the Sun as you would to any classic. It speaks to us today as it did almost half a century ago." Bonnie GreerIn south side Chicago, Walter Lee, a Black chauffeur, dreams of a better life, and hopes to use his father's life insurance money to open a liquor store. His mother, who rejects the liquor business, uses some of the money to secure a proper house for the family. Mr Lindner, a representative of the all-white neighbourhood, tries to buy them out. Walter sinks the rest of the money into his business scheme, only to have it stolen by one of his partners. In despair Walter contacts Lindner, and almost begs to buy them out, but with the help of his wife, Walter finally finds a way to assert his dignity.A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Hansberry was the youngest and the first Black writer to receive this award.Deeply committed to the Black struggle for equality and human rights, Lorraine Hansberry's brilliant career as a writer was cut short by her death when she was only 34. This new, updated edition in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series includes the full, definitive text and a brand new introduction by Soyica Diggs Colbert.

A revised Student Edition of Lorraine Hansberry's iconic 1959 play - the first play produced on Broadway to be written by a Black woman. Alongside the play text itself, this edition contains commentary and notes by Isaiah Wooden, which consider the play's: > socio-historical context (including the Jim Crow laws and racial segregation in the US)> major themes (including African-American identity, property ownership, and emergent Black feminist politics)> structure and devices (including mid-20th century reality family dramas, "genuine realism" and Hansberry's use of music, dance and song in the play)> production history (from the premiere production to the 2014 Broadway revival starring Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Dawn Walton's 2016 UK touring production) > engagement with the play (including contemporary "response" pieces such as Neighbors by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris and Beneatha's Place by Kwame Kwei-Armah)The notes section at the back of the edition contains definitions of terminology used in the play with which students may not be familiar. Overall, this edition helps students to make sense of Hansberry's play and its politics through a contemporary lens, in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, and in line with current debates around race, gender and class.

A Raisin in the Sun is a classic American play: a groundbreaking 1950s civil rights drama and has a strong claim to be the greatest play of the Black American experience. Deeply committed to the Black struggle for equality and human rights, Lorraine Hansberry's brilliant career as a writer was cut short by her death when she was only 34. A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Hansberry was the youngest and the first Black writer to receive this award. She was also the first person to be called 'young, gifted and Black'. The play is set in south side Chicago, where Walter Lee, a Black chauffeur, dreams of a better life, and hopes to use his father's life insurance money to open a liquor store. Humane and heart-rending, the play depicts characters and a whole society with complexity and reality.This Student Edition features expert and helpful annotation, including a scene-by-scene summary, a detailed commentary on the dramatic, social and political context, and on the themes, characters, language and structure of the play, as well as a list of suggested reading and questions for further study and a review of performance history.

In south side Chicago, Walter Lee, a black chauffeur, dreams of a better life, and hopes to use his father's life insurance money to open a liquor store. His mother, who rejects the liquor business, uses some of the money to secure a proper house for the family. Mr Lindner, a representative of the all-white neighbourhood, tries to buy them out. Walter sinks the rest of the money into his business scheme, only to have it stolen by one of his partners. In despair Walter contacts Lindner, and almost begs to buy them out, but with the help of his wife, Walter finally finds a way to assert his dignity. Deeply committed to the black struggle for equality and human rights, Lorraine Hansberry's brilliant career as a writer was cut short by her death when she was only 35. A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Hansberry was the youngest and the first black writer to receive this award.