Marguerite Poland

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Marguerite Poland
Born	3 April 1950 Gauteng, South Africa
Occupation	Novelist
Spouse	Martin Oosthuizen
Children	Sue Oosthuizen and Verlie Oosthuizen

Marguerite Poland (born 3 April 1950, Gauteng, South Africa) is a prize-winning South African novelist.

When she was two years old, the Poland family relocated to the Eastern Cape where she spent most of her formative years. After completing her secondary education at St Dominic’s Priory School in Port Elizabeth, Marguerite Poland completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Rhodes University, majoring in Social Anthropology and Xhosa. In 1971, Marguerite Poland completed her honours degree in African languages at Stellenbosch University. In 1977 she obtained her doctorate degree in Zulu folklore - her field of speciality being cattle - from the University of Natal. She also has an Honours degree in Comparative African Languages and an MA in Zulu Literature.

Marguerite Poland also worked as a social worker in Port Elizabeth and in Durban. In 1997 Poland contributed to a weekly column in the local newspaper, The Mercury. Poland also worked as an ethnologist at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town.