The life and works of Katherine Mansfield came under focus at a two-day conference held at the Victoria University recently.
‘Katherine Mansfield: Masked and Unmasked,’ was the theme of the event organised under the English Programme of the University from February 8 to 10, commemorating the 90th death anniversary of one of the greatest New Zealand writers.
A new book called, ‘The Edinburg Edition of the Collected Fiction of Katherine Mansfield’ edited by Mansfield scholars Victoria’s Emeritus Professor of English Vincent O’Sullivan and Senior Lecturer at the University of Northampton Dr Gerri Kimber was released at the event.
The New Zealand Centre for Literary Translation, Victoria’s English Programme and Edinburgh University Press hosted the launch on February 9.
Accurate information
Professor O’Sullivan said that the two-volume, 1200-page publication provides an accurate account of Ms Mansfield as a great writer, presenting her works in ‘as exact chronological order as possible.’
“They are presented exactly as found and detailed annotations give greater context to her work. It’s like a writer’s workshop; all the different strands and motifs of her work become more apparent pulled together in this form,” he said.
The edition includes an appendix of four previously unpublished stories, which were uncovered by a PhD student in the King’s College archives in London, prior to the publication of the Book.
According to Professor O’Sullivan, although the stories themselves were not especially important, they revealed information about the least-known period of Mansfield’s life, when she would destroy and burn her journals and notes.
“One of the stories mirrored a difficult time when she entered into an ill-fated marriage and carried an illegitimate baby, which was stillborn,” he said.
In addition to the book launch, the Conference included papers on Mansfield’s childhood and social influences, her debts to other authors and her works in relation to subjects as diverse as nationalism, philosophy, visual art, identity and fairy-tales.
Professor of English Peter Whiteford said that the event drew attention to important new Mansfield materials that had arrived recently at the Alexander Turnbull Library.
“This Conference drew people from all around the world, including England and Scotland, the US and Australia, Japan and Taiwan, as well as from other parts of New Zealand. There were several postgraduate students presenting their research alongside distinguished senior academics,” he said.
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson hosted a dinner at Parliament Buildings in honour of the speakers and delegates attending the Conference.
Source: Victoria University, Wellington
Sketch by Sarah Laing, Victoria University, Wellington
