Athol Fugard was born in South Africa in 1932 and is an internationally acclaimed playwright. His best-known plays include Bloodknot (1961); Boesman and Lena (1969); Sizwe Bansi Is Dead (1972); The Island (1973), and My Children! My Africa! (1989).
One of Fugard's most universal works of theatre. It operates on two levels: as the story of a loving but lacerating relationship between a black man and a white boy; and . . . as a powerful political statement about apartheid. --Mel Gussow, New Yorker The greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world. --Time In 'Master Harold' . . . and the boys the author has journeyed so deep into the psychosis of racism that all national boundaries quickly fall away, that no one is left unimplicated by his vision. . . . Mr. Fugard has forced us to face point-blank, our capacity for hate . . . but we're also left with the exultant hope that we may yet practice compassion without stumbling. . . . The choice, of course, is ours. Mr. Fugard's wrenching play, which insists that we make it, is beyond beauty. --Frank Rich, The New York Times An exhilarating play . . . a triumph of playmaking, and unforgettable! --New York Post