Penguin Books Australia

'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. A new biography is a significant literary event.

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.

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, shedding fascinating new light on the way Murry controversially manipulated the publication of some of Mansfield's unpublished work.

Drawing astutely on Mansfield's own letters and journals, biographer Kathleen 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.