Alice Werner (26 June 1859 - 9 June 1935) was a writer, poet and teacher of the

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

languages.- Alice Werner
Austlit.edu.au, n.d.

Life

Alice Werner was one of seven children in the family of Reinhardt Joseph Werner of Mainz, teacher of languages, and his wife, Harriett. Her father travelled extensively during the first fifteen years of her life, and she lived in New Zealand, Mexico, United States and throughout Europe, until the family settled in

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated populat ...

, England, in 1874. After visiting

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...

in 1893 and

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

in 1894, her writings were focused on African themes. In 1917 she joined the

School of Oriental Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

, moving up from lecturer to reader to professor of Swahili and Bantu languages, and retiring in 1929-1930. She was awarded a D.Litt. in 1928 from London University as a result of her specialised teaching and research. Following her retirement, she received the title of

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

from the same university. In 1931 she was awarded the Silver Medal of the African Society, of which she was Vice-President. Although not known as a major poet, her poem " Bannerman of Dandenong" has appeared in a number of important Australian poetry anthologies. She lived for a time with Lillias Campbell Davidson, American founder of the British Lady Cyclists' Association, and

Ménie Muriel Dowie Ménie Muriel Dowie (15 July 1867 – 25 March 1945) was a British writer. Early life and education Dowie was born in Liverpool to Annie Dowie (née Chambers) and James Muir Dowie, a merchant. Dowie's maternal grandfather was a Scottish author ...

, a British writer of the New Woman school. According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'':

Works

The natives of British Central Africa (1906) (14596205140)

* ''A Time and Times'' (poems) (1886) * ''O'Driscoll's Weird'' (1892) * ''The Humour of Italy'' (1892) * ''The Humour of Holland'' (1893) * ''The Captain of the Locusts'' (1899) * ''Chapinga's While Man'' (1901) * ''Native Races of British Central Africa'' (1906) * "Introduction" to ''Jamaican Song and Story: Annancy Stories, Digging Sings, Ring Tunes, and Dancing Tunes'', ed.

Walter Jekyll Walter Jekyll (27 November 1849, Bramley, Surrey, England – 17 February 1929, Bower Hall, Riverside, Hanover, Jamaica), was an English clergyman who renounced his religion and became a planter in Jamaica, where he collected and published songs ...

(1906) * ''The Language Families of Africa'' (1915) * ''A Swahili History of Pate'' (1915) * ''Introductory Sketch of the Bantu Languages'' (1919) * ''The Swahili Saga of Liongo Fumo'' (1926) * ''A First Swahili Book'' (1927; written with M. H. Werner) * ''Swahili Tales'' (1929) * ''Structure and Relationship of African Languages'' (1930) * ''The Story of Miqdad and Mayasa'' (1932) * '' Myths and Legends of the Bantu'' (1933)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Werner, Alice 1859 births 1935 deaths German women writers Writers from Trieste

Life

Works

References

Archives

External links