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The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales
Regarded today as one of Africa's best-known female writers in English, Head draws on the rich oral tradition of southern Africa and masterfully applies storytelling's language and imagery. Carefully sequenced, this collection of stories gives special focus to village people from independence-era Botswana and the status and position and plight of women.
109 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1977
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About the author
Bessie Head
48 books205 followersBessie Emery Head, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana's most influential writer.
Bessie Emery Head was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, the child of a wealthy white South African woman and a black servant when interracial relationships were illegal in South Africa. It was claimed that her mother was mentally ill so that she could be sent to a quiet location to give birth to Bessie without the neighbours knowing. However, the exact circumstances are disputed, and some of Bessie Head's comments, though often quoted as straight autobiography, are in fact from fictionalized settings.
In the 1950s and '60s she was a teacher, 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. It would take 15 years for Head to obtain Botswana citizenship. Head settled in Serowe, the largest of Botswana's "villages" (i.e. traditional settlements as opposed to settler towns). Serowe was famous both for its historical importance, as capital of the Bamangwato people, and for the experimental Swaneng school of Patrick van Rensburg. The deposed chief of the Bamangwato, Seretse Khama, was soon to become the first President of independent Botswana.
Her early death in 1986 (aged 48) from hepatitis came just at the point where she was starting to achieve recognition as a writer and was no longer so desperately poor.
Bessie Emery Head was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, the child of a wealthy white South African woman and a black servant when interracial relationships were illegal in South Africa. It was claimed that her mother was mentally ill so that she could be sent to a quiet location to give birth to Bessie without the neighbours knowing. However, the exact circumstances are disputed, and some of Bessie Head's comments, though often quoted as straight autobiography, are in fact from fictionalized settings.
In the 1950s and '60s she was a teacher, 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. It would take 15 years for Head to obtain Botswana citizenship. Head settled in Serowe, the largest of Botswana's "villages" (i.e. traditional settlements as opposed to settler towns). Serowe was famous both for its historical importance, as capital of the Bamangwato people, and for the experimental Swaneng school of Patrick van Rensburg. The deposed chief of the Bamangwato, Seretse Khama, was soon to become the first President of independent Botswana.
Her early death in 1986 (aged 48) from hepatitis came just at the point where she was starting to achieve recognition as a writer and was no longer so desperately poor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
May 2, 2018
Okay, I might be rather sour in admitting it – I am an old African reader and critic who has relished our early short stories (fiction) for decades. Stories written by the continent s best writers from all around.
Yes, stories penned by Achebe and Cyprian Ekwensi of Nigeria, Es'kia Mphahlele of South Africa, and Marechera of Zimbabwe. And of course magnificent stories by female writers like Ama Aidoo of Ghana, and Flora Nwapa of Nigeria. And in recent times great short stories by Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)and Maxwell Perkins Kanemanyanga of Zimbabwe.
Bessie Head of Botswana, if you wish, has been an exalted African female writer for donkey years, a superb writer. Her short stories here in this work show her empathy and sympathy with the rural women in the hinterland
In this collection, the title story, Collector of treasures, certainly stands out: and for me, Life too. The horrific castration of a man - by 'his' woman, is the theme of the title story. We see the hapless plight of women in this community, and quite frankly many men just regard them as sex objects, blithely, irresponsibly.
During her lifetime, author Bessie Head in an interview, actually damned such men as 'evil'. And in the story, Life, a man kills a woman in the community that he is fascinated and dazzled with: Life clearly stands out like a sore thumb!
Life, from the city, is free, 'sophisticated', and brings quasi-prostitution to the very conservative community... things of course slither towards melancholic disaster...
One might as well add in conclusion here that I am enamoured with a comment on this work by The Tribune which wrote inter alia: “Bessie Head s short stories have an extraordinary simplicity and breadth of vision, a tolerant acceptance of things as they are, which if applied by a European writer inside the structure of a European novel, would cause her to be hailed as a new humanist saint, a Tolstoy, a Gorki.”
March 25, 2022
ON EVERYDAY VILLAGE LIFE IN BOTSWANA
This collection of stories tells the life of the African rural society in Botswana, which is not an easy task for the writer, since she has to culturaly translate and/or adapt a totally different way of thinking and perceiving the world (i.e., from the Western, dominant one).
Nevertheless, Bessie Head is a skilled writer and has choosen the right way to describe the everyday difficulties of the village life. But the human dramma is more visible when she describes the condition of women who are abused, despised and/or not understood.
A very accurate inside vision, which would hardly be easier to grasp if crafted otherwise.
This collection of stories tells the life of the African rural society in Botswana, which is not an easy task for the writer, since she has to culturaly translate and/or adapt a totally different way of thinking and perceiving the world (i.e., from the Western, dominant one).
Nevertheless, Bessie Head is a skilled writer and has choosen the right way to describe the everyday difficulties of the village life. But the human dramma is more visible when she describes the condition of women who are abused, despised and/or not understood.
A very accurate inside vision, which would hardly be easier to grasp if crafted otherwise.
June 3, 2023
A través de trece cuentos, casi costumbristas, la autora nos pinta un excelente fresco de la vida en las aldeas de Botsuana (que no difieren mucho de tantas otras de África), durante el período de transición hacia la independencia del país. Y lo hace a través de personajes muy bien construidos, y ante los cuales pone sus ojos de una manera amable y comprensiva.
A diferencia de gran parte de corriente dominante en los escritores africanos de la época (el libro fue escrito en 1977), no hace una mitificación nostálgica de las tradiciones precoloniales, ni tampoco un minucioso detalle de las atrocidades cometidas por los colonizadores.
En cambio, pone la mira en la historia de la vida íntima, la de la cotidianeidad de sus personajes, en general más interesados en sus situaciones de amores, una vivencia muy libre y alegre de la sexualidad, y en su honor y esfuerzo por tener una vida mejor, que por la política o las ideologías (como ocurre con la gente sencilla en todo el mundo). Y aunque no omite situaciones dolorosas y atroces, lo hace con una narrativa sensible y comprensiva.
No falta el trasfondo de algunas secuelas del colonialismo, como el excesivo consumo de alcohol, ni tampoco los sufrimientos provocados por las antiguas costumbres, particularmente en los "daños" de los brujos, o el sometimiento de las mujeres, situación ante la cual presenta algunas situaciones en la que el cristianismo permitió conocer a un Dios más amable (como ocurriera a inicios de la Edad Media europea, frente a los atroces dioses previos).
Una muy buena lectura. Creo que es conveniente no leer más de dos o tres cuentos al día, ya que la sucesión puede provocar cierta saturación, con pérdida de interés, y el riego de perderse alguna buena historia.
Bessie Head nació en Sudáfrica en 1937, fruto de una relación mixta, por lo cual vivió sus años en el país como una descastada, y en su adultez se radicó en Botsuana. Aunque tuvo una vida difícil y momentos muy oscuros, su escritura es muy generosa; una buena escritora y seguramente una persona muy buena.
A diferencia de gran parte de corriente dominante en los escritores africanos de la época (el libro fue escrito en 1977), no hace una mitificación nostálgica de las tradiciones precoloniales, ni tampoco un minucioso detalle de las atrocidades cometidas por los colonizadores.
En cambio, pone la mira en la historia de la vida íntima, la de la cotidianeidad de sus personajes, en general más interesados en sus situaciones de amores, una vivencia muy libre y alegre de la sexualidad, y en su honor y esfuerzo por tener una vida mejor, que por la política o las ideologías (como ocurre con la gente sencilla en todo el mundo). Y aunque no omite situaciones dolorosas y atroces, lo hace con una narrativa sensible y comprensiva.
No falta el trasfondo de algunas secuelas del colonialismo, como el excesivo consumo de alcohol, ni tampoco los sufrimientos provocados por las antiguas costumbres, particularmente en los "daños" de los brujos, o el sometimiento de las mujeres, situación ante la cual presenta algunas situaciones en la que el cristianismo permitió conocer a un Dios más amable (como ocurriera a inicios de la Edad Media europea, frente a los atroces dioses previos).
Una muy buena lectura. Creo que es conveniente no leer más de dos o tres cuentos al día, ya que la sucesión puede provocar cierta saturación, con pérdida de interés, y el riego de perderse alguna buena historia.
Bessie Head nació en Sudáfrica en 1937, fruto de una relación mixta, por lo cual vivió sus años en el país como una descastada, y en su adultez se radicó en Botsuana. Aunque tuvo una vida difícil y momentos muy oscuros, su escritura es muy generosa; una buena escritora y seguramente una persona muy buena.
January 4, 2019
Alice Walker praises Bessie Head extravagantly in her novel The Temple of My Familiar. I enjoyed When Rain Clouds Gather & Maru but not quite to the extent that Alice's words had led me to hope. In this book I found the Bessie Alice read.
Many of these stories cover only a few pages. Their ground is small but intimately known. The author makes herself felt as romantic, sympathetic, soft-hearted, generous. There is a sense that she is an outsider, yet kindred.
Village life might be sleepy and uneventful, but here everything is constantly in motion, delicately balanced. Small forces, small acts, have important effects. The world is changing and no detail of transformation will be missed. The old men at the kgotla meeting give their wise views on eternal realities before being dumbfounded by the humility and selflessness of a young woman from a far off town. An abused woman finds love and friendship from unexpected sources everywhere she goes. Two strong characters tragically destroy each other because they meet in just the wrong context.
These stories are compact and perfect like treasures in a collector's box, to be taken out and touched for all to enjoy
Many of these stories cover only a few pages. Their ground is small but intimately known. The author makes herself felt as romantic, sympathetic, soft-hearted, generous. There is a sense that she is an outsider, yet kindred.
Village life might be sleepy and uneventful, but here everything is constantly in motion, delicately balanced. Small forces, small acts, have important effects. The world is changing and no detail of transformation will be missed. The old men at the kgotla meeting give their wise views on eternal realities before being dumbfounded by the humility and selflessness of a young woman from a far off town. An abused woman finds love and friendship from unexpected sources everywhere she goes. Two strong characters tragically destroy each other because they meet in just the wrong context.
These stories are compact and perfect like treasures in a collector's box, to be taken out and touched for all to enjoy
March 4, 2019
With some of the stories echoing folktales, Bessie Head’s The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales is a collection of thirteen short stories set in a Botswanan village where life is fraught with tension.
Conflict permeates most aspects of village life. Some villagers cling to traditional religion and culture while others have adopted Christianity, embrace modernization, and view indigenous culture with disdain. Conflict also exists between men and women. The men in several of the short stories are depicted with rapacious sexual appetites, abandoning wives and children to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, the women eke out a living to support themselves and their children. Exacerbating the tension is a harsh climate, devastating droughts, unforgiving soil, poverty, corruption, and the sheer desperation of village life.
Several of the stories illustrate intolerance and hypocrisy. For example, in “Heaven is not Closed,” a devout Christian woman is banished from the church by a missionary for choosing to marry a man who insists on adhering to traditional customs. In “The Village Saint,” a woman is exposed for being harsh, cruel, and domineering. “Witchcraft” and “Looking for a Rain God” echo traditional beliefs and superstitions. In “Kgotla,” we see an example of the traditional method of resolving conflicts by having each party publicly air its grievances in front of a “court” of elders, with all agreeing to abide by the chief’s decision.
The subordination of women is clearly evident in this patriarchal culture. Women are used, abused, and perceived primarily as sexual objects to satisfy male lust. Male misbehavior is tolerated, whereas the same behavior exhibited by women is vociferously condemned and accosted with wagging tongues. Women have little recourse to defend themselves or their children. Some, as in the case of Dikeledi in “The Collector of Treasures,” resort to violence since they see no other viable option available to them.
Although most of the stories portray conflict and challenges, a few illustrate harmonious marital relationships. Kenalepe and Paul Thebolo in “The Collector of Treasures” and Tholo and Thato in “Hunting” are married couples living in harmony and mutual respect. And some stories show glimpses of female solidarity—women supporting each other in the face of adversity.
The strength of these stories lies in Bessie Head’s portrayal of village life while maintaining the tone of a detached observer even when describing scenes of horror and abuse. She presents harsh events as if they are every day occurrences woven into the fabric of village life in Botswana. There is no lapse into righteous condemnation. There is no banner-waving to call attention to the injustice. Injustice occurs at every street corner. It just is. Head’s quiet equanimity and distancing in voice and tone is highly effective since her understated manner of presenting events serves to reinforce the horror.
Recommended.
Conflict permeates most aspects of village life. Some villagers cling to traditional religion and culture while others have adopted Christianity, embrace modernization, and view indigenous culture with disdain. Conflict also exists between men and women. The men in several of the short stories are depicted with rapacious sexual appetites, abandoning wives and children to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, the women eke out a living to support themselves and their children. Exacerbating the tension is a harsh climate, devastating droughts, unforgiving soil, poverty, corruption, and the sheer desperation of village life.
Several of the stories illustrate intolerance and hypocrisy. For example, in “Heaven is not Closed,” a devout Christian woman is banished from the church by a missionary for choosing to marry a man who insists on adhering to traditional customs. In “The Village Saint,” a woman is exposed for being harsh, cruel, and domineering. “Witchcraft” and “Looking for a Rain God” echo traditional beliefs and superstitions. In “Kgotla,” we see an example of the traditional method of resolving conflicts by having each party publicly air its grievances in front of a “court” of elders, with all agreeing to abide by the chief’s decision.
The subordination of women is clearly evident in this patriarchal culture. Women are used, abused, and perceived primarily as sexual objects to satisfy male lust. Male misbehavior is tolerated, whereas the same behavior exhibited by women is vociferously condemned and accosted with wagging tongues. Women have little recourse to defend themselves or their children. Some, as in the case of Dikeledi in “The Collector of Treasures,” resort to violence since they see no other viable option available to them.
Although most of the stories portray conflict and challenges, a few illustrate harmonious marital relationships. Kenalepe and Paul Thebolo in “The Collector of Treasures” and Tholo and Thato in “Hunting” are married couples living in harmony and mutual respect. And some stories show glimpses of female solidarity—women supporting each other in the face of adversity.
The strength of these stories lies in Bessie Head’s portrayal of village life while maintaining the tone of a detached observer even when describing scenes of horror and abuse. She presents harsh events as if they are every day occurrences woven into the fabric of village life in Botswana. There is no lapse into righteous condemnation. There is no banner-waving to call attention to the injustice. Injustice occurs at every street corner. It just is. Head’s quiet equanimity and distancing in voice and tone is highly effective since her understated manner of presenting events serves to reinforce the horror.
Recommended.
October 9, 2019
A wonderful collection of short stories reflecting on life in rural, post-independence Botswana. There is a quiet tone and calm rhythm to the stories, which belies the harrowing nature of many of the stories told. There is also a sense of fatality which permeates many of them. I found, for instance, that ‘The Wind and a Boy’ and ‘Looking for a Rain God’ were devastatingly sad in their portrayal of death, loss and struggles for survival. The common thread running through the collection is the position of women in society and the injustices and abuse they suffer. The collection shows all the big and small ways in which women are pushed to the sidelines, denigrated and reminded of their (inferior) position in society. But at the same time, the stories also portray the deep kindness that infuses some people – both women and men – and the place of female friendship. So, I felt there was an overall bittersweet atmosphere to the collection. But what I enjoyed most is how the stories are told: they feel like they were meant to be read out loud rather than read on paper. Or rather, they feel like old oral tales which have been put to paper.
May 2, 2019
It took me forever to get around to reading this, as the only version I could get my hands on, was a yellowing library paperback from 1977 set in a very small font...
But the stories are great - describing the lives of women in the times of confusion after independance from the British - as well as ancient myths of tribal heritage. Bessie Head tells great stories weather it's village life between old traditions and the white god, or the prison for women who killed their useless husbands.
But the stories are great - describing the lives of women in the times of confusion after independance from the British - as well as ancient myths of tribal heritage. Bessie Head tells great stories weather it's village life between old traditions and the white god, or the prison for women who killed their useless husbands.
March 24, 2021
Read "The Collector of Treasures"
February 15, 2023
(Breve parere scritto come parte della Reading Challenge 2020 del gruppo Il Circolo della Lettura)
Per farla breve: la sezione della biblioteca di Napoli contenente gli autori africani è chiusa. Fino a data da destinarsi.
Spinto dal panico, ho quindi fatto una ricerca sul portale OPAC filtrando per tutti i paesi africani nella speranza di trovare qualcosa magari inaspettatamente fuori da quell'ala e...l'ho trovato.
Proprio questo libro qui di Bessie Head, che per inciso non sapevo neanche chi fosse quando sono poi andato a ritirarlo.
Ho poi scoperto con calma che il libro in questione è una raccolta di racconti di una delle più importanti autrici del Botswana, stato indipendente dal 1966 ma prima strettamente legato al Regno Unito e soprattutto al Sudafrica, tutti dati che sembrano inutili ma che sono in realtà la chiave di volta per affrontare le storie messe in scena dalla Head.
Che sono principalmente storie di conflitto dove a scontrarsi sono la religione cristiana e i culti pagani, la tradizione e la modernità, il desiderio carnale e l'amore fedele, lati diversi che di fatto sono solo piccole parti del più grande contrasto tra il Botswana e i suoi colonizzatori, a tratteggiare come anche 20 anni dopo l'avvenuta indipendenza (la raccolta risale al 1986) il Botswana ancora fatichi a ritrovare la sua dimensione.
Facendo ulteriori ricerche, il Botswana è oggi il quinto paese africano più ricco, con un basso debito estero.
Immagino che la signora Head ne sarebbe felice.
★★★★☆
Per farla breve: la sezione della biblioteca di Napoli contenente gli autori africani è chiusa. Fino a data da destinarsi.
Spinto dal panico, ho quindi fatto una ricerca sul portale OPAC filtrando per tutti i paesi africani nella speranza di trovare qualcosa magari inaspettatamente fuori da quell'ala e...l'ho trovato.
Proprio questo libro qui di Bessie Head, che per inciso non sapevo neanche chi fosse quando sono poi andato a ritirarlo.
Ho poi scoperto con calma che il libro in questione è una raccolta di racconti di una delle più importanti autrici del Botswana, stato indipendente dal 1966 ma prima strettamente legato al Regno Unito e soprattutto al Sudafrica, tutti dati che sembrano inutili ma che sono in realtà la chiave di volta per affrontare le storie messe in scena dalla Head.
Che sono principalmente storie di conflitto dove a scontrarsi sono la religione cristiana e i culti pagani, la tradizione e la modernità, il desiderio carnale e l'amore fedele, lati diversi che di fatto sono solo piccole parti del più grande contrasto tra il Botswana e i suoi colonizzatori, a tratteggiare come anche 20 anni dopo l'avvenuta indipendenza (la raccolta risale al 1986) il Botswana ancora fatichi a ritrovare la sua dimensione.
Facendo ulteriori ricerche, il Botswana è oggi il quinto paese africano più ricco, con un basso debito estero.
Immagino che la signora Head ne sarebbe felice.
★★★★☆
December 31, 2020
I am continually fascinated by Bessie Head and how she manages to convey so much in so few words. The skills she shows while writing short stories is truly remarkable and the observatory dais she takes on while telling these stories, is humble.
This collection has a running theme of love and loss, of newly introduced religion and traditional theology, of village polity and economics of soap opera unfolding under a roof - the collection has it all. Deeply affecting, Head's characters are rooted, grounded and familiar in, and neutral to geography.
This collection has a running theme of love and loss, of newly introduced religion and traditional theology, of village polity and economics of soap opera unfolding under a roof - the collection has it all. Deeply affecting, Head's characters are rooted, grounded and familiar in, and neutral to geography.
July 13, 2024
Aprovechando mi viaje a Botsuana he leído estos cuentos cortos del país, escritos por una escritora sudafricana fallecida en Botsuana.
Buen reflejo de la realidad de una cultura bastante diferente a la que conozco en España, en cuanto a lo que sucede entre los miembros de una pareja o familia, las formas de actuar en sociedad o cómo deciden resolver conflictos. Por supuesto, muestra el difícil papel de la mujer y cómo es tratada según la buena o mala fe del marido. Recomendable.
Buen reflejo de la realidad de una cultura bastante diferente a la que conozco en España, en cuanto a lo que sucede entre los miembros de una pareja o familia, las formas de actuar en sociedad o cómo deciden resolver conflictos. Por supuesto, muestra el difícil papel de la mujer y cómo es tratada según la buena o mala fe del marido. Recomendable.
January 5, 2012
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1797605...
An excellent collection of short stories set in Botswana shortly after independence, mostly about women affected by the changes in a colonised and modernising (but pre-AIDS) society: Christianity, traditional religion, education and especially marriage rites and expectations all get critical attention from Head in a set of sharp vignettes, of which the most memorable is perhaps the title piece, about a woman who murders her husband. It is a more gritty, sexy and brutal Botswana than is to be found in the works of Alexander McCall Smith, and feels more realistic too.
An excellent collection of short stories set in Botswana shortly after independence, mostly about women affected by the changes in a colonised and modernising (but pre-AIDS) society: Christianity, traditional religion, education and especially marriage rites and expectations all get critical attention from Head in a set of sharp vignettes, of which the most memorable is perhaps the title piece, about a woman who murders her husband. It is a more gritty, sexy and brutal Botswana than is to be found in the works of Alexander McCall Smith, and feels more realistic too.
March 25, 2022
3.5, in realtà...
May 22, 2023
Something about women helping other women without any greed warms my heart.
Read the collector of treasures only.
Read the collector of treasures only.
March 3, 2012
I only read a few short stories out of this collection. I read "Heaven is Not Closed", "Life", "Snapshots of a Wedding", and "Collector of Treasures". All of the stories were good, but I was more partial to the stories that showed the friendship between women or had at least a slight feminist bent. Though the stories were meant to show that men were above vwomen in society, some of these women, particularly in "Heaven is Not Closed", show the strength of women.
December 10, 2023
It’s taken me a couple of years to read this book. I keep it in the car and now and then I just stop somewhere and read one of the stories. It has been a real pleasure to have Ms. Head’s company and I am going to have to dig up another of her books soon. I enjoyed every story and the last two were very special indeed -- one striking between the eyes and the other lying softly on the heart.
Wonderful writer. Very simple, very clean.
Wonderful writer. Very simple, very clean.
October 31, 2018
Collection of beautiful short stories, full of wisdom and of strong women coping with their inferior position in societies dominated by men. The stories are situated in post independence rural Botswana, and still vibrate strong traditions that clash with christianity and with the modern state.
October 15, 2007
Beautiful collection of short stories about rural life in Botswana...
April 4, 2022
Bessie Head è nata in Sudafrica nel 1937; figlia naturale di una donna bianca di famiglia agiata e di uno stalliere nero. Segnata dalle tragiche esperienze infantili, cresce nella difficile situazione di paria sociale e razziale. Dopo aver studiato in scuole di missionari inglesi, si diploma come insegnante a Durban. Nel 1964 abbandona il Sudafrica e muore suicida ed esule nel villaggio di Serowe in Botswana 22 anni dopo. Questa raccolta di 13 racconti scritti proprio da Serowe rispecchiano un mondo nel quale si fondono ricordi del passato e frammenti di vita quotidiana di uomini, ma soprattutto di donne - giovani, vecchie, bambine, istruite e non, mogli felici o madri di figli illegittimi - depositarie di valori della tradizione ma contemporaneamente vittime del repentino disgregarsi dei valori familiari e sociali sotto la spinta della colonizzazione. Sono le donne le protagoniste di ciascun racconto di Bessie Head, che esprimono un bisogno d’amore, profondo e doloroso, che il rapporto con l’uomo quasi mai riesce a colmare. Un bellissimo intreccio di umanità africana.
February 16, 2023
“And so the woman Dikeledi began phase three of a life that has been ashen in its loneliness and unhappiness. And yet she has always found golf amidst the ash, deep loves that had joined her heart to the heart of others. She smiled tenderly at Kebonye because she knew already that she had found another such love. She was the collector of such treasures.”
- Bessie Head, The Collector of Treasures
Bessie Head paints a rich and compelling picture of complex life in Botswana, the country of her exile.
Within these pages we meet characters navigating happiness tainted by colonialism, struggle bound up with custom and heritage. Moments of conflict amidst broken families and strength in actions, both loud and quiet.
This collection is one I’ll surely visit again. It’s contents were bold and extraordinary. The vision is broad.
- Bessie Head, The Collector of Treasures
Bessie Head paints a rich and compelling picture of complex life in Botswana, the country of her exile.
Within these pages we meet characters navigating happiness tainted by colonialism, struggle bound up with custom and heritage. Moments of conflict amidst broken families and strength in actions, both loud and quiet.
This collection is one I’ll surely visit again. It’s contents were bold and extraordinary. The vision is broad.
March 30, 2021
Comencé a leer el libro “The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales” de Bessie Head justo antes de irme a conocer Bostwana.
Bessie Head nació en Sudáfrica en 1937, pero es considerada una de las escritoras más influyentes de Botswana (país a donde se mudó buscando refugio), este libro en particular es una colección de cuentos de pueblos de Bostwana que tratan sobre temas como la vida familiar o la posición de la mujer en esta sociedad.
Si están buscando recomendaciones de literatura africana escrita por mujeres, me parece que este libro puede ser una muy buena opción, la verdad a pesar de que si debo aceptar que el inglés de este libro se me hizo más difícil de lo usual, lo disfruté muchísimo
Bessie Head nació en Sudáfrica en 1937, pero es considerada una de las escritoras más influyentes de Botswana (país a donde se mudó buscando refugio), este libro en particular es una colección de cuentos de pueblos de Bostwana que tratan sobre temas como la vida familiar o la posición de la mujer en esta sociedad.
Si están buscando recomendaciones de literatura africana escrita por mujeres, me parece que este libro puede ser una muy buena opción, la verdad a pesar de que si debo aceptar que el inglés de este libro se me hizo más difícil de lo usual, lo disfruté muchísimo
September 12, 2022
Worth reading for the details of village life. Some of the stories give good insights into the impact of colonization and independence in Botswana. Critique of patriarchal society and double standards is well done.
It's emulating an older style of storytelling that wasn't the most engaging (I assume the writer is trying to emulate the way people in such villages would telling their stories). Okay for one or two stories but by the time I was several stories into the collection I found myself wanting a little more modern craft usage in telling the stories but it's a quick read and still worth it.
Sidenote: Read it as an ebook, so I could only read it in the Kindle PC app and the font and page navigation were a little annoying. Should've just got hard copy.
It's emulating an older style of storytelling that wasn't the most engaging (I assume the writer is trying to emulate the way people in such villages would telling their stories). Okay for one or two stories but by the time I was several stories into the collection I found myself wanting a little more modern craft usage in telling the stories but it's a quick read and still worth it.
Sidenote: Read it as an ebook, so I could only read it in the Kindle PC app and the font and page navigation were a little annoying. Should've just got hard copy.
January 1, 2025
Bessie Head's work offers an insight into the 'everyday lives' of traditional village life in Botswana.
Her perspective and experience clearly highlights the joys as well as the troubles that come with village life and tradition. These short stories highlight the plight of women in our, African traditions. The work of feminism and liberation cannot be left to gatekeepers.
In order for a new culture, rich with tradition and striving for higher levels of consciousness, work such as Bessie Heads should stand as guides and pointers as to how our societies steeped in tradition fail the women in our society.
A beautifully written collection of tales that resonate with a Zimbabwean floating in the diaspora.
Her perspective and experience clearly highlights the joys as well as the troubles that come with village life and tradition. These short stories highlight the plight of women in our, African traditions. The work of feminism and liberation cannot be left to gatekeepers.
In order for a new culture, rich with tradition and striving for higher levels of consciousness, work such as Bessie Heads should stand as guides and pointers as to how our societies steeped in tradition fail the women in our society.
A beautifully written collection of tales that resonate with a Zimbabwean floating in the diaspora.
June 4, 2021
I thought this collection was a little bit anthropological, a bit slice of life - ot was interesting to see customs or daily life depicted, but quite a few of the stories felt a little bot flat. However, overall this created a nice collection that gave a sense of place and the stories that were very good were very good indeed. My favourites (5star) were Kgotla, The Wind and the Boy and Hunting.
Themes of colonialisation, christianty vs traditional, death, love, marriage, children, village life, lies, blame and responsibility and good vs evil.
Themes of colonialisation, christianty vs traditional, death, love, marriage, children, village life, lies, blame and responsibility and good vs evil.
November 11, 2022
i did several close readings of this collection and from what i have read, i really enjoyed the experience. am i being too optimistic? no.
bessie head has been in my life (namely my academic career) for a while and i refuse to take her presence for granted. her literature has been a huge inspiration on me and as a result, i trust that every single story in this collection will fill me with wonder and impeccable insight once i get through them.
bessie head has been in my life (namely my academic career) for a while and i refuse to take her presence for granted. her literature has been a huge inspiration on me and as a result, i trust that every single story in this collection will fill me with wonder and impeccable insight once i get through them.
July 7, 2020
Bessie head is an artist. In her writing she paints an authentic rustic pure picture in your head. She also unravels femininity in a tangible careful beautiful way. I dotm love these short stories because they arentpp short but i lpve her writing. I thinl she describes the core elements of romantic love amd familial love. I thinl she teases put the differences between belief tradition and hope.
December 11, 2022
Similar to Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs village gossip sometimes. Really enjoyable and a lot to learn. Particularly like the first story.
May 17, 2023
something about the happiest ending of a woman still will be her unhappy
even when one kills their abuser, they still have to suffer and leave behind the good in their lives
in a society made for men by men, there might never be a true happy ending for a woman
(only read the collector of treasures)
even when one kills their abuser, they still have to suffer and leave behind the good in their lives
in a society made for men by men, there might never be a true happy ending for a woman
(only read the collector of treasures)
April 3, 2018
Highly recommended for anyone who plans to travel to Botswana. Bessie Head's short stories give you a picture of life in the rural villages, featuring conflicts between old tribal customs and modern ideas, the place of women in society, and jealousy related to increasing economic inequality.
November 27, 2022
interesting look at the disruptions of independence another consequence and an often devastating one of colonialism on the lives of once tribal peoples. still living in basic conditions but without the support of traditional governance. moving tales of ordinary people but i remained a bit apart.
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