John Millington Synge
John Millington Synge, (1871-1909). Irish dramatist. Synge trained as a professional musician and spent several years wandering in Europe. In 1896 the poet W. B. Yeats encouraged him to write, and to visit the Aran Islands to gain material; advice that bore fruit in Synge’s Riders to the Sea (1904). His portrayal of the Irish peasantry in The Playboy of the Western World (1907) caused angry riots among the audience. The play is now considered his masterpiece. Deirdre of the Sorrows (1910) was unfinished at his death.
