First Person

Janet Frame was born in Dunedin in 1924, and was brought up in an intellectually rich but materially poor family. The daily hardship and struggle only served to heighten the anxieties and insecurities that she as a child was prone to. She attended teacher training college, but had a minor breakdown that resulted in long periods of incarceration in mental hospitals during her twenties. It was the publication of her first short novel that secured both her release, and a new lease on life. Her subsequent writing career lasted until her death in 2004, when her stature as one of New Zealand's best known and most loved authors was widely acknowledged.
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Author: Janet Frame

Reader: Kerry Fox

Production

Publication

Publisher: Vintage