In the early 1980s novelist Janet Frame (New Zealander of the Year in 1957) switched from writing fiction to autobiography.
The first volume of her three-part life story, To the is-land, was published to critical acclaim and introduced her to a wider audience.
In the Listener, reviewer Vincent O'Sullivan said the work charted the constant play between two forces.
"On one side there is poverty, failed aspirations, death and the daily fare of physical shame, the simple lines of childhood gradually blurring and changing ground.
"On the other side is her mind growing in confidence to call its own tune."
To the is-land - awarded the Watties Book of the Year award in 1983 - and its sequels formed the basis of Jane Campion's award winning film An Angel at my Table.
And Janet Frame is again New Zealander of the Year.
From the Herald archives:
'Frame's extraordinary talent', NZ Herald online, 30 January 2004
'A literary angel mourned', NZ Herald online, 31 January 2004
Further reading:
Biography of Janet Frame, Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Further viewing:
The Angel at My Table excerpt is from this period.