“Janet Frame burst onto the post-war New Zealand literary scene with a series of novels which were unlike anything written in New Zealand before, with a vividly imaginative and perceptive insight into the human psyche, the workings of memory, and the manifestations of the human spirit.” Literary scholar Patricia Neville.

The papers contain the details of her life— from household and travel documents to the correspondence from friends, acquaintances, publishers and family, to the manuscripts for her work. Her autobiographies To the Is-land (1983); An Angel at My Table (1984); The Envoy from Mirror City (1985), and Michael King’s biographical work, draw heavily on the papers.

This collection forms a rich resource for scholars of the post war New Zealand literary scene. The correspondence includes letters from New Zealand and international writers, artists and other figures.

2024 is the centenary of Janet Frame’s birth.