Initially lauded for the "universality" of the plays collected in his book Underground (1970) and later overshadowed by the black theater movement, Edgar B. White has produced a large number of short, highly erudite tragicomedies usually depicting black experience. Keenly aware of accident and absurdity in all human affairs, he has never displayed the fury toward racial oppression found in the work of Amiri Baraka and other militant playwrights. Instead, his work abounds in irony, literary allusions, wit, and techniques inspired by an impressive knowledge of European, Oriental, African, and American drama. However, he has come to stress, coolly and symbolically, the importance of his black roots and the need to strike down white supremacy, even if it is only one absurdity in an absurd world. He has also presented a gentler and frequently delightful vision of black life in three children's books and several children's plays which nevertheless...