Fugard, Lisa 1961–

PERSONAL: Born 1961, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; immigrated to the United States, 1980; daughter of Athol (a playwright) and Sheila (a writer) Fugard; children: one son. Education: Attended Rhodes University; studied acting in New York, NY.

ADDRESSES: Home—CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Scribner Publicity Department, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

AWARDS, HONORS: Robie Macauley fellowship for short fiction, 1997.

WRITINGS:

Skinner's Drift: A Novel, Scribner (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including the New York Times; work represented in anthologies, including Getting Here from There: Selected Shorts, a Celebration of the Short Story.

SIDELIGHTS: Lisa Fugard is the daughter of two writers, Sheila and playwright Athol Fugard. Born in South Africa, she moved to New York with her parents in 1980 after completing one year at Rhodes University. She studied acting and performed on stage, including in her father's plays, before turning to writing.

Fugard has written nature and travel articles, and she is the author of Skinner's Drift: A Novel, inspired by an actual event. Eva von Rensburg left South Africa ten years earlier in 1987, after the death of her mother, Lorraine, and she now returns to care for her dying father, Martin. The story includes flashbacks that reflect the atmosphere of apartheid, her father's forays into the night, and the young Eva's relationships with the black workers on their farm in the Limpopo Valley, all of which come back to her when Eva discovers her mother's diaries.

A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted Fugard's "ability to effectively explore broad themes through a family story." Rachel Hore noted in a review for the Guardian Online that Fugard not only provides a glimpse into South African history, but also of "the breathtaking beauty of landscape, flora and fauna."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of Skinner's Drift: A Novel, p. 33.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2005, review of Skinner's Drift, p. 993.

Library Journal, November 1, 2005, Kellie Gillespie, review of Skinner's Drift, p. 64.

Publishers Weekly, October 3, 2005, review of Skinne's Drift, p. 45.

ONLINE

Exclusive Books.com, http://www.exclusivebooks.com/ (April 22, 2005), interview with Fugard.

Guardian Online, http://books.guardian.co.uk/ (April 16, 2005), Rachel Hore, review of Skinner's Drift.

LitNet, http://www.litnet.co.za/ (January 3, 2006), profile of Fugard.

Penguin UK Online, http://www.penguin.co.uk/ (January 3, 2006), profile of Fugard.