Wasserstein, Wendy

Wasserstein, Wendy, 1950–2006, American playwright, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. Wasserstein, who made a place on the American stage for contemporary women and their concerns, explored such issues as love, independence, careers, family relationships, and feminism with wit and affection. Her first success, Uncommon Women and Others (1977), introduced five typical Wasserstein women: young, educated, intelligent, accomplished, and struggling to attain both autonomy and love. Her most celebrated play, The Heidi Chronicles (1989, Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award) takes her heroine, an idealistic and insecure art historian, through the emotional upheavals of the 1960s and 70s while dealing with themes of love, selfhood, marriage, and motherhood. Wasserstein's other plays include Isn't It Romantic (1981, rev. 1983), The Sisters Rosensweig (1993), An American Daughter (1997), Old Money (2000), and Third (2005). She also wrote essay collections (1990, 2001), a self-help parody (2005), a children's book (1996), screenplays, teleplays, libretti, and the posthumously published novel Elements of Style (2006).

Bibliography

See studies by G. Ciociola (1998, repr. 2005) and C. Barnett (1999).

---

Wasserstein, Wendy

(born Oct. 18, 1950, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died Jan. 30, 2006, New York, N.Y.) U.S. playwright. Wasserstein earned a graduate degree at the Yale School of Drama. She won favourable notice for Uncommon Women and Others (1977), which was followed by Isn't It Romantic (1981) and The Heidi Chronicles (1988, Tony Award, Pulitzer Prize). She became noted for her comic gift and her portrayals of single women. Her later plays include The Sisters Rosensweig (1992), An American Daughter (1997), and Third (2005).