The Modern Novel

Biography

Grace Ogot was born Grace Emily Akinyi in Butere in 1930. She went to the local girls’ schools, where she learned English, which she used to read the Bible, an early influence on her work. She went to England to study nursing and, while there, corresponded with the historian Bethwell Allan Ogot, whom she later married. She started writing in her mother tongue, Luo, before switching to English and Swahili. While working as a nursing sister in Uganda, she attended a literary conference and was surprised to find no books from East African writers, so she determined to be more productive. She started writing stories, before moving on to novels. She makes extensive use of the traditions, folklore and background of Luo region of Kenya in her writings. As well as writing, she has been an M. P. and minister in Kenya as well as working for the BBC as an editor and broadcaster. She died in 2015.

Other links

Grace Ogot
Grace Ogot took the African story to the world
Beware and Be Warned (profile of Ogot)