From the Centre
A Writer's Life
Patricia Grace
- With
- photographs
- and
- quotes
- from
- her
- many,
- hugely
- loved
- books,
- Patricia
- Grace
- begins
- with
- her
- grandparents
- and
- parents
- and
- takes
- us
- through
- her
- childhood,
- her
- education,
- marriage
- and
- up
- to
- the
- present
- day
- in
- this
- touching
- and
- self-deprecating
- story
- of
- her
- life,
- the
- life
- of
- a
- writer,
- of
- a
- Maori
- woman
- and
- of
- a
- teacher.
- It
- expresses
- the
- love
- for
- family
- and
- for
- ancestral
- land;
- shows
- the
- prejudices
- she
- had
- to
- face
- and
- that
- made
- her
- stronger;
- and
- tracks
- her
- career
- as
- a
- writer.
-
- ‘We
- live
- by
- the
- sea,
- which
- hems
- and
- stitches
- the
- scalloped
- edges
- of
- the
- land.’
- Renowned
- writer
- Patricia
- Grace
- begins
- her
- remarkable
- memoirs
- beside
- her
- beloved
- Hongoeka
- Bay.
- It
- is
- the
- place
- she
- has
- returned
- to
- throughout
- her
- life,
- and
- fought
- for,
- one
- of
- many
- battles
- she
- has
- faced:
- ‘It
- was
- when
- I
- first
- went
- to
- school
- that
- I
- found
- out
- that
- I
- was
- a
- Maori
- girl
- .
- .
- .
- I
- found
- that
- being
- different
- meant
- that
- I
- could
- be
- blamed
- .
- .
- .’
- As
- she
- shows,
- her
- experiences
- —
- good
- and
- bad,
- joyous
- and
- insightful
- —
- have
- fuelled
- what
- became
- a
- focus
- of
- her
- life:
- *‘*I
- had
- made
- up
- my
- mind
- that
- writing
- was
- something
- I
- would
- always do.’
pro-mbooks3 : libris
