A RIVETING STORY FROM ONE OF AFRICA'S MOST IMPORTANT WOMAN WRITERS

'When Rain Clouds Gather and Maru are fairy tales about the transformations that love can wreak. And they transform love into a force to be thankful for' HELEN OYEYEMI

Escaping South Africa and his troubled past, Makehaya crosses the border to Botswana, in the hope of leading a peaceful and purposeful life. In the village of Golema Mmidi, he meets Gilbert, a charismatic Englishman who is trying to modernise farming methods to benefit the community. The two outsiders join forces, but their task is fraught with hazards: opposition from the corrupt chief, the pressures of tradition and the unrelenting climate ever threaten to bring tragedy.

Maru: Margaret, an orphan from a despised tribe, has lived her life under the loving protection of a missionary's wife. She has only to open her mouth to cause confusion, for her education and English accent do not fit her looks. When she accepts her first teaching post, in a remote village, Margaret is befriended by Dikeledi, sister of Maru the chief-in-waiting. Despite making influential friends, Margaret faces prejudice even from the children she teaches, and her presence causes Maru and his best friend - also Dikeledi's lover - to become sworn enemies.

In two powerful novels of belonging, one of Africa's most important writers explores village life and the traditions of Botswana.

About the Author

Bessie Emery Head (1937-1986) was born in South Africa, and considered Botswana's most influential writer. She was the child of a wealthy white South African woman and a black servant when interracial relationships were illegal in South Africa. Her key works include When Rain Clouds Gather (1969), A Question of Power (1973) and Tales of Tenderness and Power (1991).

In the 1950s and 1960s, she was also a teacher and then a journalist for the South African magazine Drum. In 1964, she moved to Botswana (then still the Bechuanaland Protectorate) as a refugee, having been peripherally involved with Pan-African politics.

Reviews
When Rain Clouds Gather and Maru are fairy tales about the transformations that love can wreak. And they transform love into a force to be thankful for -- Helen Oyeyemi



Book Information
ISBN 9781844086221
Author Bessie Head
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 282g
Dimensions(mm) 133mm * 200mm * 24mm