Fugard has authored nearly twenty plays, all set in his homeland of South Africa. Many of these works share qualities found in Boesman and Lena: intimate, small-cast, poetic dramas that juxtapose the beauty of the South African landscape with the harsh realities of its political climate. His first major success, The Blood Knot (1961), delves into the lives of two half-brothers—one black and the other nearly white but classified as "coloured"—and the impact of apartheid on their relationship. In Master Harold...and the Boys (1982), a young white South African boy learns about family, love, and dignity from two black servants in his parents' cafe. My Children! My Africa! (1989) examines the devastating consequences of anti-apartheid protests and township riots on a black teacher and his two students, one black and one white.

Boesman and Lena draws some of its inspiration from Absurdist playwright Samuel Beckett, whose works often explore themes of loneliness, despair, and the quest for meaning in a chaotic world. Beckett's masterpiece, Waiting for Godot (1953), is a tragicomic play about two tramps waiting for a mysterious figure named Godot, who never arrives. Other notable works by Beckett include Endgame (1957), Krapp's Last Tape (1958), and Happy Days (1961).

Nadine Gordimer's novel July's People (1981) offers a different perspective on race relations in apartheid-era South Africa. The story centers on July, the black servant of white South African architect Bam Smales and his wife, Maureen. Believing they treat July well and deserve his loyalty, Bam and Maureen are forced to rely on him for survival when interracial violence erupts, and he helps them escape to his remote village. There, the power dynamics shift, and the Smales realize that July is more than a mere servant—he is a human being with a life beyond his duties to their family, highlighting the complex interplay of politics and human relationships under apartheid.

James A. Michener, a novelist known for his works of historical fiction, has written books such as Hawaii, Alaska, and Mexico. In The Covenant (1980), Michener traces the intricate history of South Africa from the arrival of the first European settlers in the fifteenth century to the formation of the modern South African nation and the tragedy of apartheid. The novel blends fact with fiction, focusing on Willem van Doorn and ten generations of his descendants as they navigate pivotal events like the country's colonization, the Great Trek, and the Boer War.

Norman Silver's 1993 story collection, An Eye for Color, is narrated by Basil, a Jewish teenager residing in Cape Town, South Africa. Basil's stories capture life under apartheid, where everyday events gain new significance due to the strict class and race laws governing the country.

In one story, Basil recounts to his girlfriend witnessing two black individuals being beaten. She responds by suggesting they must have provoked the attack. In another tale, Basil observes a young girl being reclassified from white, with its associated privileges, to black, necessitating her relocation and attendance at a different school.

This collection is especially targeted towards teenage readers.