Sarah Gertrude Millin
Sarah Gertrude Millin (1889–1968) was a South African writer born in Lithuania who immigrated with her family to South Africa to escape persecution for their Jewish faith. Settling near the Vaal River in the Kimberley area, Millin chose not to pursue higher education in favor of training as a piano teacher while simultaneously developing her writing skills. She published her first novel, *The Dark River*, in 1919, which explores themes of societal ostracism tied to interracial relationships. Millin is most recognized for her controversial 1924 novel, *God's Step-children*, which addresses the plight of a missionary who faces despair after marrying a Black woman. Throughout her career, she authored around twenty-five books, including both fiction and nonfiction, such as *The South Africans* and her autobiography, *The Night is Long*. Her works have been noted for their reflection of the racial attitudes of her time, which have led to critical re-evaluation in contemporary discussions. Millin's literary contributions provide insight into early 20th-century South African society and its complex racial dynamics.
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Sarah Gertrude Millin
Writer
- Born: March 19, 1889
- Birthplace: Zagar, Lithuania
- Died: July 6, 1968
- Place of death: Johannesburg, South Africa
Biography
Sarah Gertrude Millin was born in Lithuania in the 1880’s. Her family immigrated to South Africa to avoid persecution for their Jewish faith. They settled near the Vaal River in the Kimberley area. Millin was an excellent student, but decided against attending college, preferring instead to train as a piano teacher. At this time, she also began writing short stories. These early stories reflected Millin’s disdain for the interbreeding of different races and her belief that the white race needed to remain “pure” and separate from the indigenous people of Africa.
In 1912, she married lawyer Philip Millin. The couple then relocated to Johannesburg. Seven years later, Millin published her first novel, The Dark River, about the degeneration of a man who fathers children with his black lover and is ostracized by “respectable” society. Millin authored twenty-five books, but she is best-known for her 1924 novel, God’s Step-children, which tells the tale of a missionary who falls into misery and squalor when he marries a black woman and has children with her. Outside of what is now considered her racist fiction, Millin also wrote several works of nonfiction, beginning with The South Africans in 1926. Other works of nonfiction include Millin’s autobiography, The Night is Long, and an edited text, White Africans Are Also People.