Stella Blakemore facts for kids

Stella Blakemore was a famous South African writer. She wrote many exciting books for young people in Afrikaans. She was also known by her pen name, Theunis Krogh.

Early Life and Family Background

Stella Blakemore was born on April 13, 1906. Her birthplace was a tent near Lindley in what was then called the Orange River Colony.

Her mother, Emmarentia Susanna Catherina Krogh, taught music. Her father was Captain Percy Harold Jenks Blakemore, a British Army officer. Stella's father left the family when she was four years old.

Stella's most famous pen name, Theunis Krogh, came from her grandfather. He was Theunis Johannes Krogh, an important official in the government of President Paul Kruger.

Education and Travel

Stella went to school in Natal. After finishing high school, she studied music in London. She learned to play the piano and sing at the Royal Academy of Music. She also studied opera in Germany.

Later, Stella returned to South Africa. She taught music for a while in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

In 1933, Stella married David Owen, a civil engineer from Wales. They got married in London. Their marriage led to many years of travel around the world. They lived in places like Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Italy, England, Swaziland, Nigeria, Germany, and Ireland.

Stella and David adopted two children, Peter and Salene. Stella Blakemore passed away in May 1991 in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland. She was 85 years old.

Stella Blakemore's Books

Stella Blakemore started writing in the 1920s while she was in Germany. Her very first work was a play called Die Goue Sleutel (which means "The Golden Key").

She wrote a total of 66 books during her life. Many of her books were for young readers.

The Maasdorp Series

Her first book in the popular Maasdorp series was Die Meisies van Maasdorp ("The Girls of Maasdorp"). It was published in 1932. This series became very popular, and she wrote fifteen more books about the girls of Maasdorp.

The Keurboslaan Series

Stella Blakemore also wrote another well-loved series called Keurboslaan. There are twenty books in this series. She used the pen name Theunis Krogh for these books. The first book in this series was "Die Hoof van Keurboslaan" ("The Head of Keurboslaan").

Other Pen Names

Besides Theunis Krogh, Stella Blakemore also used other names for her books. These included Analize Biermann, Stella Owen, and Diem Grimbeeck.