By surname

Rachel Holmes was born and educated in South Africa and England. Her first book, Scanty Particulars: The Life of Dr James Barry was published to critical acclaim in 2002. She is an HIV treatment activist, writer and journalist. Her book, The Hottentot Venus: The Life and Times of Saartjie Baartman, was published by Jonathan Ball Publishers in 2007. She is currently writing a life of Eleanor Marx.

Formerly an academic holding lectureship at the Universities of London and Sussex, Rachel left academia to work for Amazon.co.uk for five years. She has judged several literary prizes, including the Whitbread Awards and the Orange Prize for Fiction.

Rachel Holmes is a frequent columnist and reviewer and is Secretary of Friends of TAC, international fund-raising and lobby group for the Treatment Action Campaign, the South African HIV/AIDS movement. Chosen as one of the 'Women to Watch' by the Cultural Leadership Programme, she is Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the South Bank Centre.