An angel at my table

Autobiography by Janet Frame

All members were present, except, sadly, Anne and Paulette. All had read the book, except myself (Blanka), who read her novel “Towards Another Summer” (published posthumously).

Nene Janet Paterson Clutha (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) better known by her pen name of Janet Frame, was a New Zealand author. She wrote novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography. Frame's celebrity derived from her dramatic personal history as well as her literary career. Following years of psychiatric hospitalisation, Frame was scheduled for a lobotomy that was cancelled when, just days before the procedure, her debut publication of short stories was unexpectedly awarded a national literary prize.
This autobiography was liked by all; they were touched and appalled by the plight of this talented but mentally unstable woman, who, due to the circumstances of her life (an extreme poverty at times) and the limited psychiatric knowledge of her time, became a lonely and mishandled woman. Things did not improve much after she had moved to England. Yet, in her work, she was able to overcame the adversity, and eventually found recognition, at least in her home country. The opinion was expressed that she suffered from autism rather than schizophrenia,.
From what was said about the autobiography I could conclude, that the novel “Fly to Another Summer” is very much autobiographical as well. It is very readable, though occasionally incomprehensible (which was also the case of her autobiography) – one of her favourite books seems to have been The Ulysses by Joyce. She imagines herself to be a migratory bird, flying to warm places every year, which would suggest schizophrenia, but she also depicts in great detail her inability to interact satisfactorily with other people and the awkward situations resulting from it, with quite a bit of humour. For those who want to get to know her better, I can recommend it.
Blanka