Origins & Early Life

Bessie Amelia Emery Head (6 July 1937 – 17 April 1986) was a South African writer who, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana's most influential writer. She wrote novels, short fiction and autobiographical works that are infused with spiritual questioning and reflection. Notable books by her include When Rain Clouds Gather (1968), Maru (1971) and A Question of Power (1973). Bessie Amelia Emery was born in Pietermaritzburg, Union of South Africa, the child of a white woman and a black man at a time when interracial relationships were illegal in South Africa.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Bessie's mother, Fiona Emery, from the wealthy South African Birch family, had been hospitalised for several years in mental hospitals following the death of her first child, a boy named Gerald Emery, who died after 8 weeks of birth. She was in the huge mental hospital in Pietermaritzburg when she gave birth to Bessie. Although she was not allowed to keep the child, she did give the daughter her own name. Her father is unknown. Infant Bessie was first placed with white foster parents on the assumption that she was white.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

A few weeks later, these parents realised that she was coloured and returned...

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