A raisin in the sun

Format:

Book

Title:

A raisin in the sun

Author:

Hansberry, Lorraine, 1930-1965, author.

ISBN:

9780679601722

Edition:

Modern Library edition.

Publication:

New York : Modern Library, 1995.

Physical Description:

xxvi, 135 pages ; 20 cm

Series title(s):

Modern library of the world's best books.

Summary:

When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershed in American drama. A pioneering work by an African-American playwright, the play was a radically new representation of black life. "A play that changed American theater forever." The story tells of a Black family's experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father, and deals with matters of housing discrimination, racism, and assimilation.

Program Information:

Reading Counts RC 9-12 6.8 8.0 9539.

Accelerated Reader AR UG 5.5 5.0 56457.

Subject(s):

African American families -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Drama.

African Americans -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Drama.

Discrimination in housing -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Drama.

American drama -- 20th century.

United States -- Race relations -- Drama.

Geographic Term:

United States -- Race relations -- Drama.

Genre:

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	812.54 Hansberry 1995	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Library	812.54 HAN	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"Never before, 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.

Indeed 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.nbsp;nbsp;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 .nbsp;nbsp;"It is as if history is conspiring to make the play a classic."nbsp;nbsp;This Modern Library edition presents the fully restored, uncut version of Hansberry's landmark work with an introduction by Robert Nemiroff.

Author Notes

American playwright Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in Chicago. After attending the University of Wisconsin for two years and then studying painting in Chicago and Mexico, Hansberry moved to New York in 1950. There she held a number of odd jobs to make ends meet while trying to establish her writing career.

Hansberry wrote her first play A Raisin in the Sun in 1959. The first drama by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of a working-class black family in Chicago. The production won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and in 1961, the film version, starring Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee, received a special award at the Cannes Film Festival. Hansberry's next play, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, a drama set in Greenwich Village, had a short run on Broadway in 1964.

Hansberry's promising career was tragically cut short by her premature death on January 12, 1965. She was 34 years old. The plays To Be Young, Gifted and Black and Les Blancs were adapted from Hansberry's early writings by her ex-husband Robert Nemiroff. Both plays were produced off-Broadway, in 1969 and 1970 respectively.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-This live, full-cast performance of Lorraine Hansberry's classic 1958 play tells the story of a working class African-American family living in a small apartment on Chicago's Southside. The matriarchal Lena "Mama" Younger awaits the arrival of her deceased husband's $10,000 life insurance check. Her son, Walter, maneuvers to invest in a liquor store, while her daughter, Bennie, hopes to attend medical school with the money. Meanwhile, Walter's wife struggles to decide whether to terminate an unplanned pregnancy when they're already struggling to support their firstborn. When Mama makes a down payment on a house in a white section of the city, the neighborhood association offers to buy them out. The family balks until Walter loses the balance of the money in a fraudulent business deal. Then they must weigh dreams against reality. This is a stirring performance of Hansberry's take on the American Dream deferred, which was inspired by Langston Hughes's 1951 poem "Harlem." Every actor digs into his or her character with verve, and audience reactions highlight the subtle humor. Characters are frequently addressed by name, and each actor's voice is distinct enough for listeners to easily identify the speaker. As Bennie, Rutina Wesley of HBO's True Blood adds some star power, but Judyann Elder as Mama is the heart and soul of this production. Her character is alternately maternal and tart, feisty and vulnerable. A commanding presentation of a seminal drama that feels timelier than ever.-Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Hansberry's first play won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, making her the youngest playwright and first black to win that honor. This timeless story of human dignity is set in Chicago's South Side. Mama gets a bundle of money from an insurance claim on her husband's death, and all family members have dreams the money can be used to fulfill.

Library Journal Review

A full-cast production of Hansberry's groundbreaking play about the struggles of an African American family in 1950s Chicago. As with The Third Man, the production includes a variety of sound effects and a live audience. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Life of the Author

Hansberry's Major Works

List of Characters

Raisin Genealogy

A Brief Synopsis

Introduction to the Play

Summaries and Critical Commentaries

Act I

Act II

Act III Character Analyses

Critical Essays

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents