In Memoriam

Bonnie Greer: Never Nobody But Herself

Stephen Colegrave pays tribute to our much-loved contributor who died in September

The first time I met Bonnie Greer she was laughing with delight as she hurtled down the hill at our first Byline Festival a decade ago. She thought she was coming to a journalism conference and was thrilled by the mix of comedy, music, and talks in the middle of a forest.

Bonnie became a close family friend, especially of my wife, Hilary, and daughter Lucy, who as women of colour found her an inspiration and often shared glasses of champagne with her at the Union Club in Soho. I regret that we never got round to putting together a series of talks on old Hollywood films at the London club as we had planned.

Bonnie’s life was like a golden thread running through the cultural and creative life of America and Britain in the second half of the 20th Century and beyond.