Finally, an authoritative account of the mythologised life of Sara Baartman. The meticulously researched subject comes to life in the hands of historians Crais and Scully … Magnificent – an outstanding contribution to South African culture, past and present.
—Zoë Wicomb, author of You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town and David’s Story

Displayed on European stages from 1810 to 1815 as the Hottentot Venus, Sara Baartman was one of the most famous women of her day, and also one of the least known. Based on research and interviews that span three continents, Crais and Scully reconstruct Baartman’s life and tell the entwined histories of an elusive life and a famous icon. They discuss the enduring impact of the Hottentot Venus on ideas about women, race and sexuality. The book concludes with the politics involved in returning Baartman’s remains to her home country, and connects Baartman’s story to her descendants in nineteenth- and twentieth-century South Africa.

Clifton Crais is Professor of History and Pamela Scully is Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and African Studies at Emory University, United States.