Yvonne Vera

Yvonne Vera (19 September 1964 – 7 April 2005) was an author from Zimbabwe. Her first published book was a collection of short stories, Why Don't You Carve Other Animals, which was followed by five novels: Nehanda (1993), Without a Name (1994), Under the Tongue (1996), Butterfly Burning (1998), and The Stone Virgins (2002). According to the African Studies Center at the University of Leiden, "her novels are known for their poetic prose, difficult subject-matter, and their strong women characters, and are firmly rooted in Zimbabwe's difficult past. " For these reasons, she has been widely studied and appreciated by those studying postcolonial African literature.

Life Vera was born in Bulawayo, in what was then Southern Rhodesia, to Jerry Vera and Ericah Gwetai. At the age of eight, she worked as a cotton-picker near Hartley. She attended Mzilikazi High School and then taught English literature at Njube High School, both in Bulawayo. In 1987, she immigrated to Canada and she married John Jose, a Canadian teacher whom she had met while he was teaching at Njube. At some point in the late 1980s, Vera was diagnosed as HIV-positive, but never shared this information during her lifetime. At York University, Toronto, she completed an undergraduate degree, a master's and a PhD, and taught literature.

In 1995, Vera separated from her husband and returned to Zimbabwe. In 1997, she became director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, a gallery that showcases local talent ranging from that of professional artists to school children. She resigned in May 2003 because of the withdrawal of government funding, an exodus of local artists and a drop in visitors. In 2004, Vera returned to Canada

Awards 1994: Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Africa) and Zimbabwe Publishers' Literary Award, for Without a Name 2002: Macmillan Writers' Prize for Africa for The Stone Virgins

Works While at university, Vera submitted a story to a Toronto magazine; the publisher asked for more, so she sat down to write them. Butterfly Burning (1998), awarded a German literary prize, LiBeraturpreis, in 2002 The Stone Virgins (2002), awarded Macmillan Writers' Prize for Africa; extracted in New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby, 2019

At the time of her death, Vera was working on a new novel, Obedience, which has never been published.