Self-Portrait
PORTRAIT OF A NOTABLE NEW ZEALANDER — NGAIO MARSH, scheduled for 1YA’s Feminine Viewpoint recently, sounded pretty formidable. I imagined the ustial hagiographical solemnity-where and when our heroine was born, her early mentors, "influences," struggles to break into the literary world, her first success, triumphant career--and all the familiar rest of it. But, to my pleasure, Miss Marsh herself was allowed to draw her own portrait, and a thoroughly delightful job she made of it. The pertinent questions put to her elicited @ flood of information about her
methods of writing detective novels, her love for the theatre, how she came to be bitten again by the stage-bug, and much else of a personal nature, all, as one would expect of her, crisp, assured and animated. Here was more of the true flavour of a personality than any indirect or more formal method could possibly have given. I was especially interested to hear Miss Marsh say that she now never read other detective-stories lest she found that her new ideas had been anticipated. Having noticed how her ideas have sometimes been used by others, I imagine that not every such writer is quite so scrupulous — or so
strong-willed.
J.C.
R.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19540402.2.18.2
Bibliographic details
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 767, 2 April 1954, Page 10
Word count
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199Self-Portrait New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 767, 2 April 1954, Page 10
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
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