Janet Frame died today

Janet Frame is the New Zealand writer whose autobiography was the basis for Campion's first international success, "An Angel at my Table".

The film portraits Janet's childhood, growing up in poverty in New Zealand in the 50's, and her incarceration, for eight years, in a mental health institution, where she was treated with electroshock therapy for her alleged shizophrenia, which later turned out to have been a wrong diagnosis - there was nothing wrong with the girl other than that she preferred to be by herself, had a vivid imagination and liked to write (and did it extremely well). Fancy that.

Frame went on to have a successful international career as a writer and is highly regarded in her own country as perhaps the most important New Zealand writer so far.

Her autobiography is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read, and I can highly recommend it, or seeing the film (or both!)

Now she'll be an angel at other people's tables.

RIP Janet Frame - and thank you for sharing your stories.

Here's the official newsflash:


NEWSFLASH: Author Janet Frame Dies

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0401/e2342ea7fc4e208a143d.jpeg
IMAGE: Janet Frame in her youth.

Renowned New Zealand author Janet Frame has died aged 79 in Dunedin
Hospital. Frame's life story was portrayed in the award winning
Jane Campion film An Angel at My Table. The film was based in
turn on her autobiography of the same name.

Frame learned in August last year that she was suffering from
terminal cancer.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0401/cd6df1ebdf5d2e1e4169.jpeg
IMAGE: Janet Frame more recently.



"For Frodo!" - because he's worth it

"For Frodo!" - because he's worth it