The first foreign-born President of the Bronte Society has been appointed to oversee the organisation and champion the cause of the famous literary family.

Author and culture commentator Bonnie Greer, who grew up in Chicago, in the US, will preside over one of the oldest literary societies in the world.

The Bronte Society, which was founded in 1893, has an international membership and one of Miss Greer’s first jobs will be to oversee the annual meeting at the West Lane Baptist Centre in Haworth, in June.

Andrew McCarthy, director of the Bronte Parsonage Museum at Haworth, said it was particularly relevant that Miss Greer was a woman.

“That she is a woman is important when representing the Brontes, who themselves were helping lead the way for women authors in the 19th century,” he said.

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