Edward Albee is one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century; this is an opinion that creates great debates among literature lovers. Many people recognize his name as the writer of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf; but if the reader takes a minute to evaluate his writing canon, he has a splendid volume of work at his disposal. Albee faced enormous obstacles that were not always transparent to everyone. Edward was at odds with his parents' environment and expectations. While his plays were being written, he was often at odds with critics. He compared theater critics to Genghis Khan. A wealthy couple, Reed Albee and his wife Frankie wanted a child to improve their public image; they adopted Edward when he was eighteen days old. He was the heir required to fulfill their family expectations. When Edward grew up, he was a child who did not live up to his parents' ideas of how children should behave. From an outside perspective, many people thought that he should be grateful for all the material things his adoptive parents had given him; under the public facade love and affection were not to be found in that family. It was frustrating for young Edward. He was a sensitive boy and the tension at home affected him profoundly. His grandmother was a bright spot in his life, she was loving towards him and did not judge him. He attended Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, but they dismissed him for poor attendance and poor grades. His unhappy parents sent him to Valley Forge Military Academy; he remembers it as a reformatory. Choate, an exclusive school in Wallingford, Connecticut, was the next step in his education. According to Mel Gussow the only reason Choate granted him admission was as a result of a letter written... in the middle of a sheet of paper... light on his art. Albee won three Pulitzer Prizes for drama, for A Delicate Balance. in 1967, Seascape in 1975, and Three Tall Women in 1994. Albee tells people that he actually won three and a half Pulitzer Prizes, but Columbia University barred him from receiving them. In 2012, Albee underwent heart surgery, when he was interviewed he had this response: “Edward, you need open heart surgery. When they rip your chest open and do all kinds of stupid things to it. And my reaction was: what will happen if I don't? You will probably die in a year. OH. Then I guess there's no choice. " (Green) The surgery went well and he is recovering and planning his next play. There is a possibility that it could be based on the loss of his partner. They were together for 35 years. In the meantime he is reviving some of the his previous works and supervising new theater productions.