Ngaio Marsh: The Woman and Her WorkBeverly Jean Rahn In 1934, Ngaio Marsh's first novel, A Man Lay Dead, was published to critical acclaim. For the next fifty years, Marsh wrote more than 30 English detective novels, while simultaneously building a reputation as a distinguished director of Shakespearean theatre. She received the Crime Writers Association's Red Herrings Award in 1955 and was made a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1978. In 1948 Marsh was awarded an Office of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to literature and the theatre, and in 1967, she was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). As a New Zealander, Marsh was the only colonial writer to be ranked with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham as one of the grande dames of the Golden Age. Ngaio Marsh: The Woman and Her Work is a collection of essays celebrating this multifaceted talent_painter, playwright, director and detective novelist. Originally created to celebrate the centenary of Marsh's birth, this comprehensive profile addresses various aspects of this remarkable woman's personality, life, and work. Her official biographer, Margaret Lewis, her cousin John Dacres-Mannings, and two fellow Detection Club members_H.R.F. Keating and Julian Symons_pay tribute to Marsh as a person and a colleague. Marsh's career in the theatre is traced by Paul R. Bushnell, and its influence on her detective writing is assessed by Marilyn Rye and Catherine Aird. Her contribution as a novelist of manners is addressed by Alzina Stone Dale, Kathryne S. McDorman, B.A. Pike, and Susan Oleksiw, while her accomplishments in short fiction are discussed by Douglas G. Greene and Bruce Harding. In addition to the thirteen essays, this volume contains a chronology of Marsh's plays, as well as a bibliography of her novels and short stories. Nominated for both an Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction and an Anthony Award for Best Critical Work, this book is a fitting tribute to an extraordinary woman who captured international acclaim in literature and the arts. |
Contents
To Ngaio from her biographer with affection | 1 |
Thoughts on the Life of a Marvelous Woman | 23 |
Outsold and Outsmarted But | 33 |
Copyright | |
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actors amateur audience Bathgate BBHD Beech and Honeydew behavior biographer Black Beech Britain British Canterbury University College characters Christchurch College Drama Society Collins and Boston colonial Compline create cultural Dame Ngaio Detection Club detective fiction detective novels detective story director Dolphin Dorothy Dorothy L England English feeling Frid friends Geoffrey Bles guests H. R. F. Keating Hamlet Hart Henry hereafter cited Jonathan Julian Symons Lady Charles Lady Hersey Lampreys later literary Little Brown London look Lord Wutherwood Madame Lisse Mandrake Margaret Lewis Margery Allingham Marsh wrote Marsh's novels McDorman Morepork Mystery Ngaio Marsh performance play plot production professional promptbook published Radio New Zealand reader Repertory reveal Roberta Roderick Alleyn Royal Sayers scene Scotland Yard Shakespeare Shakespearean short stories social stage student theatrical tour University College Drama University of Canterbury William Collins woman writing York young Zealand