The life of Edward Albee sounds like the kind of stuff found in one of his plays. Well, that’s not far from the truth given that several of his plays were biographically informed. Born a parentless, Albee was adopted by a pair of New York socialites. Richard and Frankie Albee were conservative, Christian and cold. Albee, a homosexual, was at odds with his adoptive parents, causing him to leave at the age of 21.
I am not one for biographies and I am typically annoyed by the practice of referring the work of the artist to the life of the artist. In the case of Albee, the life of the artist is a work of art in many respects. The strange title “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is taken by Albee to mean, “Who’s afraid to live a life without illusion?” Seems appropriate coming from a homosexual born to a family of conservatives.
Albee has dedicated his life (and art) to expunging American culture of illusion with his witty and biting dialogue. Included in the Theater of Absurd, Albee is an essential contribution to the tradition of American playwrights.
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