(17 January 1953 – 17 August 2004) was a South African author, journalist, playwright, and critic.
His first novel, My kat word herfs, is autobiographical; Barrie had a speech impediment, like one of the main characters in the story, he stuttered.
In 1980 he obtained a Master of Arts degree in English with a thesis on the playwright Athol Fugard.
[4] He taught at St. Barnabas College for four years and was appointed at Beeld as a full-time theater critic in 1979.
Additionally, he became a multiple award-winning author of youth literature, tackling challenging, topical, and personal themes, like belonging, fear, AIDS (he had friends who died from HIV/AIDS), and an absent father figure.