A Lesson from Aloes

Athol Fugard's uncanny ability to capture the nuances of intense interpersonal relationships ultimately illuminates issues of major social and political importance. In A Lesson from Aloes, he depicts the reunion of Piet Bezuidenhout, an anti-apartheid Afrikaner and possible informant, and Steve Daniels, a Black activist, on the eve of Steve's departure from South Africa to exile in England. Prodded by Piet's nervous wife, they confront each other and the events which led to their sudden falling-out years ago. Fugard's poetic dialogue heightens the raw emotion of the characters, leaving readers and playgoers deeply moved by the encounter.