‘I was jealous of her writing - the only writing I have been jealous of.’ Virginia Woolf.
Widely acknowledged as New Zealand’s finest writer, Katherine Mansfield
holds a special place in the hearts of New Zealanders.
Katherine Mansfield: The Story-teller is the first new biography of
Mansfield for a quarter of a century. It is published at a time when
interest in Mansfield and her work is increasing throughout the world.
Biographer Kathleen Jones gives a vivid portrayal of Mansfield, correcting
previous misinterpretations of her illnesses and relationships, and
weaving a compelling drama from the detail. The story extends further
still, beyond Mansfield’s death in 1923, to include the subsequent
life of her husband, John Middleton Murry, Drawing astutely on Mansfield’s
own letters and journals, Jones, using the present tense throughout,
has crafted a text unusually sparkling and intimate, providing a new
kind of picture of this brilliant, original yet fragile writer.
This is a major work and a worthy addition to our understanding and
appreciation of New Zealand’s greatest writer.