Poet Clare Holtham and Uzbek chieftain in Afghanistan, early 1970s Credit: Newnham College Archive, Cambridge
Clare Holtham (1948-2010) had a huge enthusiasm for learning. After a troubled childhood, which led to a spell of homelessness, she became an intrepid traveller and independent-minded student at Newnham College, Cambridge. A book of Clare's poems called The Road from Herat, launched today at Newnham, reflects a life lived to the full. It included working on the buses and a rapid marriage to an Uzbek chieftain. Clare was also absolutely clear about what she wanted to study. She had no truck with anything she thought was second rate." - —Jean Gooder - There are few pictures of Clare Holtham. This is partly because she was always diffident about having her picture taken, and partly because she was for many years estranged from her family.
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