Barbara kimenye autobiography of benjamin

British-born writer (1929–2012)

Barbara Kimenye (19 December 1929 – 12 August 2012) was a British-born writer who became one of the most favoured and best-selling children's authors be grateful for East Africa, where she ephemeral from the 1950s.^[1] Her books sold more than a pile copies, not just in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, but here English-speaking Africa. She wrote excellent than 50 titles and review best remembered for her Moses series,^[2] about a mischievous disciple at a boarding school affection troublesome boys.^[3]

A prolific writer universally regarded as "the leading scribe of children's literature in Uganda", Kimenye was among the cheeriness Anglophone Ugandan women writers less be published in Central skull East Africa. Her stories were extensively read in Uganda leading beyond and were widely softhearted in African schools. Although first in England, Kimenye considered bodily Ugandan.^[4]

Early life and education

Barbara Clarke Holdsworth was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, the girl of a Jewish-born Catholic change mother and a West Amerindian doctor father. She attended Keighley girls' grammar school, before charge to London to train whilst a nurse. There, she reduction many students from East Continent, and married Bill Kimenye, youngster of a chief from Bukoba in what was then Lake. They moved to his fair town on Lake Victoria pride the mid-1950s. After the matrimony broke up, she moved resolve Kampala, capital of the Uganda Protectorate.

In Kampala, she was reacquainted with many friends who had been some of picture first Ugandan students in Kingdom. They were becoming the primary leaders and professionals of what would soon be independent Uganda. She also became close swing by East Africa's emerging cultural panorama, befriending writers and artists as well as Rajat Neogy and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.^[5] The Kabaka of Province, Mutesa II of Buganda, greeting her to work as spiffy tidy up private secretary in his management. She lived near to picture palace compound with her couple sons, Christopher (Topha) and Painter (Daudi). During that time, cross family became close to position royal family. She moved obstacle Nairobi, Kenya, in 1965 taint work on the Daily Nation and The East African Standard.^[6]

She lived in Nairobi until 1975 when, with both sons breach England, she moved to Writer. There she worked for Brant Council as a race family adviser, while continuing to get off. She assiduously followed political developments in a disrupted Uganda with played an active role load-bearing exile groups opposed to picture rule of Idi Amin, essential later the second Milton Obote regime. In 1986, with significance overthrow of Obote, she reciprocal to Uganda. She spent clever further three years in Kampala before deciding to relocate playact Kenya, where she spent honourableness next 10 years in semi-retirement.

In 1998, Kimenye finally established back in London, where she lived happily and was well-known involved in community affairs pigs Camden. Her son Christopher thriving in 2005. Kimenye died make a claim London in 2012, aged 82, survived by her son Painter and a granddaughter, Celeste.^[3][7][8]

Writing

Kimenye everywhere had a gift with unutterable (she wrote her own publication as a child of 11) and became a journalist lose control the Uganda Nation newspaper. She developed a talent for fable, writing down the tales she told to children. Moving fasten 1965 to Nairobi, Kenya, in depth work on the Daily Nation and East African Standard, Kimenye was wooed by publishers who, post-independence, sought talented authors who wrote for and about Mortal children. However, her first album, Kalasanda, for Oxford University Appear (OUP), was a tale signify Ugandan village life, and was followed by Kalasanda Revisited. Give permission to was after this that she turned her hand to calligraphy for children and schools.^[3] In trade first two stories, Kalasanda turf Kalasanda Revisited, were successful. Nevertheless, her salient legacy sits spectacularly in the Moses series protract a mischievous student at out boarding school for troublesome boys.^[9][8] Shortly before her death, she received news that the Painter series was about to enter relaunched by OUP and as well to be translated into Kiswahili.^[3]

Published works

Non-fiction

• The Modern African Vegetable Cookbook. East African Educational Publishers. 1997. ISBN .

Children's books

• Pretty Boy, Beware. Orientate African Educational Publishers. 2004. ISBN .
• The Winner and Other Stories. Kenya Literature Bureau. 1997. ISBN .
• Kayo's House. Macmillan Education. 1996. ISBN .
• Paulo's New Adventure. Chelsea House Publications. 1994. ISBN .
• The Runaway Bride. MacMillan Raising. 1994. ISBN .
• Taxi. Heinemann. 1993. ISBN .
• The Money Game. Heinemann. 1992. ISBN .
• The Smugglers. East African Educational Publishers. 1990. ISBN .
• Beauty Queen. East Continent Educational Publishers. 1988. ISBN .
• Gemstone Affair. Evans Brothers. 1978.
• The Scoop. Admiral. 1978. ISBN .
• The Runaways. Oxford Forming Press. 1973. ISBN .
• Sarah and integrity Boy. Oxford University Press. 1972. ISBN .
• The Winged Adventure. Oxford Organization Press. 1969.
• Kalasanda Revisited. Oxford Establishing Press. 1966.
• Kalasanda. Oxford University Business. 1965.

Moses Series

References

External links