Bessie Amelia Emery Head (1937–1986) was one of Southern Africa’s most influential writers, whose life and work were shaped by exile, displacement, and resilience.

Her Selected Works—When Rain Clouds Gather, Maru, and A Question of Power—grapple with questions of identity, belonging, race, and mental health in postcolonial Botswana. Head’s characters often navigate the margins of society, offering searing insight into injustice and the human condition. Though she wrote from a place of personal hardship, her novels resonate with universal struggles for dignity and meaning, cementing her place as a leading voice in African literature.

The Selected Works of Bessie Head

A poignant exploration of political exile, social change, and agricultural innovation, When Rain Clouds Gather follows the journey of Makhaya Maseko, a political refugee from South Africa, who seeks solace in the rural village of Golema Mmidi in Botswana. There he meets Gilbert Balfour; an idealistic British agriculturalist who wants to radically transform the community’s farming practices. As Makhaya integrates into the community and joins forces with Gilbert, he becomes involved in the villagers' struggle to overcome traditional constraints and embrace new agricultural methods.

The novel explores themes of resilience, community, and the conflict between tradition and modernization. It also highlights the oppressive effects of apartheid and colonial systems while celebrating the power of human collaboration and hope.

In Maru, Bessie Head crafts a poignant tale of love, identity, and prejudice. Margaret Cadmore, a young orphan from a marginalized San community, is adopted and raised by an English missionary. Despite her education and upbringing, she faces deep-seated discrimination upon arriving in a remote Botswanan village, where the San are traditionally oppressed. Her presence disrupts entrenched social norms and draws the attention of two powerful men—Maru, a chief-in-waiting, and Moleka—both of whom fall in love with her.

A powerful critique of racial and social prejudice, Maru is a story of quiet defiance, resilience, and the transformative power of love in breaking barriers.

A Question of Power delves into the complexities of mental illness, identity, and spiritual growth. The protagonist, Elizabeth, a biracial woman, grapples with her mental health while living in a village in Botswana. Her inner world is dominated by hallucinations and intense confrontations with two symbolic figures, Sello and Dan, who embody good and evil. The narrative oscillates between her harrowing visions and the reality of her day-to-day life.

Through Elizabeth's journey, Head explores profound themes of power, sanity, and the struggle for inner peace, offering a deeply personal and introspective look at the impact of social and political oppression on the human psyche.