Contents
Yvonne Vera
Writing lyrical novels about women’s lives and Zimbabwe’s difficult history.
Nehanda · Butterfly Burning
- Born
- 19 September 1964
- Birthplace
- Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
- Died
- 7 April 2005
More people
Yvonne Vera
Yvonne Vera was a Zimbabwean novelist and short-story writer. Her work addressed violence and subjects often silenced in public discussion through intensely poetic prose.
Early life
Bulawayo
Attended Mzilikazi High School and later taught English literature.
Canada
Moved to Canada in 1987 and pursued degrees at York University.
Career
- 1992
First collection
Published Why Don’t You Carve Other Animals.
- 1995–2003
Zimbabwe and the gallery
Returned home and later directed the National Gallery in Bulawayo.
- 2004–2005
Final years
Returned to Canada for medical treatment and died in 2005.
Selected work
Nehanda
Reimagined the life of the spiritual figure associated with anti-colonial resistance.
Butterfly Burning
Set a woman’s ambitions against life in 1940s Bulawayo.
The Stone Virgins
Explored violence and its aftermath in post-independence Zimbabwe.
Beyond work
Women’s writing
Edited Opening Spaces, an anthology of African women’s writing.
Visual arts
Supported local artists through her gallery work.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Biography and achievements ↗Photo: Eric Beauchemin. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
