Maria Thomas

Maria Thomas
BornRoberta Thomas
(1941-07-06)July 6, 1941
Camden, New Jersey
DiedAugust 7, 1989(1989-08-07) (aged 48)
16 miles southeast of Dembidolo, Ethiopia
Pen nameMaria Thomas
OccupationWriter
EducationMount Holyoke College (BA)
Pennsylvania State University (MA)
Years active1975-1989
Notable works
  • Antonia Saw the Oryx First (1987)
  • Come to Africa and Save Your Marriage (1987)
  • African Visas (1991)
SpouseTom Worrick
ChildrenRaphael Worrick

Roberta Worrick (born Roberta Thomas; July 6, 1941 – August 7, 1989), better known by her pen name Maria Thomas, was an American writer who published a novel, short stories, and essays. Much of her writing was set in, or was about, various countries in Africa, where she lived and worked for most of her professional life. Her writing earned numerous awards and widespread critical praise. Her death at age 48,[a] in a plane crash in Ethiopia, cut short a successful and promising literary career.

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