Emerson Grossmith is a Canadian travel writer and former archaeologist whose work covers Africa, the Middle East and personal journeys across continents. His most recent book is Love, Apartheid, and Other Tales from Africa (2025), a memoir set against the backdrop of the political and social tensions of 1980s South Africa.
Emerson Grossmith grew up in the Beaches area of Toronto. In 1979, he moved west to work in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks. He spent two decades in the Canadian Rockies before returning to academic study. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in 1993 and a Master’s degree in 1996 in Middle and Near Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto.
During the 1990s, he worked as an archaeologist in Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Yemen. His travels in the 1980s and 1990s took him through Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, as well as to India, Iran and countries in the Middle East. His stories appeared in Gulf-based magazines, the Qatar Airways in-flight magazine and Big World travel magazine.
From 1997 to 2019 he lived in the Persian Gulf region, teaching English as a second language. He continued teaching from 2019 to 2021 in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Between 2001 and 2022, he lived in Nairobi, Kenya, with his family.
His first book, Overland to Cairo by Any Means (2023), was the opening volume of the African Quartet. It drew on his early experiences of overland travel in Africa during the 1980s and the political climate of the time. The narrative covered border closures, civil unrest and the practical challenges of crossing the continent.
Love, Apartheid and Other Tales from Africa (2025) recounts his time in South Africa during apartheid. It follows his experiences as a white traveller facing moral choices and personal ties in a divided society. The book also traverses the Frontline States of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, linking personal reflection with historical change.
Emerson Grossmith then relocated to Belleville, Ontario, with his children.
Photo credit: nextchapter.pub
Emerson Grossmith grew up in the Beaches area of Toronto. In 1979, he moved west to work in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks. He spent two decades in the Canadian Rockies before returning to academic study. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in 1993 and a Master’s degree in 1996 in Middle and Near Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto.
During the 1990s, he worked as an archaeologist in Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Yemen. His travels in the 1980s and 1990s took him through Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, as well as to India, Iran and countries in the Middle East. His stories appeared in Gulf-based magazines, the Qatar Airways in-flight magazine and Big World travel magazine.
From 1997 to 2019 he lived in the Persian Gulf region, teaching English as a second language. He continued teaching from 2019 to 2021 in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Between 2001 and 2022, he lived in Nairobi, Kenya, with his family.
His first book, Overland to Cairo by Any Means (2023), was the opening volume of the African Quartet. It drew on his early experiences of overland travel in Africa during the 1980s and the political climate of the time. The narrative covered border closures, civil unrest and the practical challenges of crossing the continent.
Love, Apartheid and Other Tales from Africa (2025) recounts his time in South Africa during apartheid. It follows his experiences as a white traveller facing moral choices and personal ties in a divided society. The book also traverses the Frontline States of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, linking personal reflection with historical change.
Emerson Grossmith then relocated to Belleville, Ontario, with his children.
Photo credit: nextchapter.pub
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