After reading several of Janet Frame's books last year, I saw this on the bookshelf at my parents' house and thought it looked pretty interesting. Plus Michael King is a brilliant non-fiction writer.
One of the things I liked most about this book is it did not focus solely on the period of hospitalisation in Frame's life, and did not sensationalise the fact that she had been in hospital either. It, like a real biography should, details her life from an early age, and shows what shaped her to become the amazing literary artist she was. For a New Zealander it also provided detailed insights of where in New Zealand she lived, and shows how the 20th century era of reconstruction of houses affected her trying to work.
It begins with a tale of her early life, full of disaster and sadness, and her as a young girl then a young woman having to cope with everything turning pear shaped around her. It also shows the difficulties, she as a full time author had financially, and the friends she had (in particular Frank Sargeson, another New Zealand author) who made it possible for her to write full-time before the New Zealand government would support her.
After Frame's long period of hospitalisation, and after staying with Sargeson, Frame undertook a tour of the world where many of her contacts both in the publishing world and in friendships were formed. It also details where she got ideas for a lot of her books, and her particular ruse of modeling characters on people she knew in real life, which at times affected her relationships with friends.
This book enlightened me that Frame stayed alone most of her life, she still had a fear of one day ending up back in the psychiatric hospitals where she had been treated so badly (and narrowly escaped a lobotomy), and was not always the most personable women in the world either. However, through the vivid descriptions of inspirations for her books, and the copies of letters and unpublished poems that King was able to acquire in his research, he showed a truly unique personality behind the books.
I don't have any criticisms to make of this book, apart from the occasional grammatical error (grr) which is probably more the fault of the editors than the author himself.
I highly suggest you read it, even if you have no particular interest in Frame's amazing works. It shows truly and accurately how a person can leave their past behind and become whatever they want to be.
Next up: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
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