Table of Contents

A Raisin in the SunForeword by Jewell Handy Gresham-Nemiroff
Acknowledgments
Introduction by Margaret B. Wilkerson
Commentary: Thoughts on the Screenplay by Spike Lee
A Raisin in the Sun - The Unfilmed Original Screenplay

About the Author

Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965) electrified the theatrical world with her first play, A Raisin in the Sun, which won the New York Critics Circle Award for the 1958-59 season. Before her tragic death from cancer at the age of 34, she had already produced a remarkable body of work, including The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window and Les Blancs. Her former husband and literary executor, the late Robert Nemiroff, posthumously produced and published her To Be Young, Gifted and Black and the musical Raisin.

Robert Nemiroff (1929–1991) was a Broadway producer and the literary executor of Lorraine Hansberry's estate.

Reviews

Praise for A Raisin in the Sun

“One of the handful of great American plays—it belongs in the inner circle, along with Death of a Salesman, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and The Glass Menagerie.”—The Washington Post

“The play that changed American theater forever.”—Frank Rich, The New York Times

“A beautiful, lovable play. It is affectionately human, funny and touching....A work of theatrical magic in which the usual barrier between audience and stage disappears.”—John Chapman, New York News

“An honest, intelligible, and moving experience.”—Walter Kerr, New York Herald Tribune

“Miss Hansberry has etched her characters with understanding, and told her story with dramatic impact. She has a keen sense of humor, an ear for accurate speech and compassion for people.”—Robert Coleman, New York Mirror

“It is honest drama, catching up real people....It will make you proud of human beings.”—Frank Aston, New York World-Telegram & Sun

“A wonderfully emotional evening.”—John McClain, New York Journal American