A Lesson from Aloes
By Athol Fugard
Imprint: Theatre Communications Group
Paperback : 9781559360012, 96 pages, January 1993
Set in 1963 in a white district of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, this important play gives a compelling portrait of a society caught in the grip of a police state and the effect it has on individuals. A liberal Afrikaner, who is actively involved in anti-apartheid activity, and his wife, who is recovering from a nervous breakdown brought about by a police raid on their home, are waiting for dinner guests, a Black family. They never arrive, but the head of the family does. He has just been released from prison and plans to flee South Africa after first confronting the Afrikaner with the charge that he has betrayed him.
"Immensely moving. " —New York Post
"Exile, madness, utter loneliness these are the only alternatives Mr. Fugard's characters have. What makes Aloes so moving is the playwright's insistence on the heroism and integrity of these harsh choices. " —The New York Times
Other Books By Athol Fugard
Blood Knot and Other Plays
Exits and Entrances
Marigolds in August / The Guest
Playland and A Place with the Pigs
Sorrows and Rejoicings
The Captain's Tiger
The Road to Mecca
The Shadow of the Hummingbird
Valley Song
The Train Driver and Other Plays
Love, Loss, and Longing
The Apple Family
My Children! My Africa!