Editing John Osborne (section)

===Impact===
Osborne's work transformed British theatre.<ref>Heilpern p.xv</ref> He helped to make it artistically respected again, throwing off the formal constraints of the former generation, and turning public attention once more to language, theatrical rhetoric, and emotional intensity.{{cn|date=April 2023}} As a young man he decided 'it was a beholden duty at all times for me to kick against the pricks';<ref>{{harvnb|Osborne|1981|p=163}}.</ref> he saw theatre as a weapon with which ordinary people could break down class barriers.{{cn|date=April 2023}} He wanted his plays to be a reminder of real pleasures and real pains.{{cn|date=April 2023}} [[David Hare (playwright)|David Hare]] said in his memorial address:

{{quote|John Osborne devoted his life to trying to forge some sort of connection between the acuteness of his mind and the extraordinary power of his heart.<ref>{{harvnb|Heilpern|2006|p=477}}</ref>}}

Osborne did change the world of theatre, influencing playwrights such as [[Edward Albee]] and [[Mike Leigh]].{{cn|date=April 2023}} However, work of his kind of authenticity and originality would remain the exception rather than the rule.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} This did not surprise Osborne; nobody understood the tackiness of the theatre better than the man who had played [[Hamlet]] on [[Hayling Island]].<ref>{{harvnb|Osborne|1991|p=7}}</ref> In 1992 he was awarded a [[Lifetime Achievement Award]] from the [[Writer's Guild of Great Britain]].<ref name = "Schmidt" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://writersguild.org.uk/history-writers-guild-awards/|title=History of the Writers' Guild Awards|website=WGGB: The Writers' Union|access-date=2023-03-25}}</ref>