Stewart Parker: A Life presents the career of this important playwright in the context of a lively discussion of his personal history (including his academic training as an early beneficiary of the Education Act, the amputation of his left leg at age 19, and five years spent teaching in the US in the 1960s) and of the turbulent times through which he lived in his native Belfast. A contemporary of Seamus Heaney from a working-class Protestant background, Parker shared with other Northern Irish writers of his generation the challenge of dealing with the Troubles in a politically, morally, and aesthetically responsible manner. The story of the different ways in which he met the demands of this subject matter affords insights into the experience of daily life in the shadow of political violence. Richly illuminating for specialists and general readers alike, this accessible and engaging biography is based on Parker’s personal papers, along with dozens of interviews with his friends, acquaintances, and collaborators.