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Bessie Head was a black South African writer who is best known for her novels and short stories about life in her native country. She was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province, in 1937, and grew up in a poor, rural area. Her mother was a domestic worker and her father was a laborer. Head began writing at an early age, and her first story was published when she was just 17 years old. She went on to study at the University of Cape Town and the University of Witwatersrand. After graduation, she worked as a journalist and teacher. In 1966, she moved to Botswana, where she lived for the rest of her life. Head’s novels and stories offer a unique perspective on the experience of black South Africans under apartheid. Her best-known works include A Question of Power (1973), Maru (1971), and When Rain Clouds Gather (1968).
Bessie Head’s writing is significant because it offers a rare glimpse into the lives of black women in South Africa during the apartheid era. Her stories provide a human face to the political and social turmoil of the time, and offer hope and inspiration in the midst of oppression.
