Lanford Wilson

Raymond Schultz (University of Minnesota)
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Lanford Eugene Wilson was born on April 13, 1937, in Lebanon, a small town in rural Missouri. His family was poor, and when he was five his mother took a job in a garment factory in Springfield, 50 miles away. His father deserted them and moved to California, eventually remarrying and starting another family. His mother also remarried when Wilson was thirteen; his stepfather, a dairy inspector, although by no means abusive, did not particularly bond with the boy. This fractured family structure represents a central motif in the majority of Wilson’s writing, namely the human impulse to belong to a family unit, whether nuclear or extended. In an interview Wilson admits: “A friend of mine once told me that in all my work I’m either …

2847 words

Citation: Schultz, Raymond. "Lanford Wilson". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 August 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5739, accessed 31 October 2024.]

5739 Lanford Wilson 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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