NPR

Lorraine Hansberry: Radiant, Radical — And More Than 'Raisin'

A new biography of the African-American playwright shows that she was so much more than her most famous work: A Raisin in the Sun.
Imani Perry, author of <em>Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry</em>

You think you're accomplishing something in life until you realize that at age 29, playwright Lorraine Hansberry had a play produced on Broadway. Not only did she have a play, but her drama, A Raisin in the Sun, beat out Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill to win the prestigious New York Drama Critics' Circle for the best play of the year. Let that sink in.

made Hansberry famous almost overnight. And while it's what most people remember about her, there was so much more, says Princeton professor Imani Perry. Perry's new biography, paints a much fuller picture of the playwright's

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