Bessie Head was born in South Africa in 1937 - the product of an illicit union between her mentally ill white mother and a black stable hand. Brought up by foster parents and schooled by missionaries, Head trained and worked for a while as a teacher before becoming a journalist.

In 1964, after the breakdown of her marriage, she left South Africa for Botswana. Her left-wing politics meant she was unable to return to South Africa, and she spent fifteen years as a political refugee in Botswana before gaining citizenship there.

During this time she commenced writing novels that were to establish her as one of Africa's most prominent writers. Among them her three major works - When Rain Clouds Gather, Maru, and A Question of Power explore issues of discrimination, poverty, exile and the difficulties of life in post-colonial Africa.
After battling depression and alcohol for a number of years, Bessie Head died in Botswana in 1986.

• http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Head.html
• http://www.suntimes.co.za/literaryawards/bessiehead/whoisbh.asp
• http://www.ex.ac.uk/~ajsimoes/aflit/