Biography

Wilma Johanna Stockenström was born in 1933 in Napier, South Africa. She studied at the University of Stellenbosch, obtaining a bachelor of arts degree in drama in 1952. She went on to work as a radio announcer in Cape Town. She also worked as a translator and actress. Her initial writing output was comprised of plays before she turned to poetry in the late 1960s, producing her first collection of poems, entitled Vir Die Bysiende Leser. She went on to become a highly regarded writer, publishing eleven well received collections and five novels. Several of her books have been adapted for stage or film.