The Book of Iris
Author | : Derek Challis |
Publisher | : Auckland University Press |
Total Pages | : 842 |
Release | : 2002 |
ISBN-10 | : 1869402677 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781869402679 |
Rating | : 4/5 (77 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: "Brilliant, beautiful, difficult and doomed, Iris Wilkinson (known as the writer Robin Hyde) led a short, tumultuous and incredibly productive life. Here her story is told for the first time in a dramatic and deeply moving narrative. Researched by both authors from 1965 to 1971, it was written in a first draft by Iris Wilkinson's friend, Gloria Rawlinson; since Rawlinson's death in 1995 it has been revised and completed by Derek Challis, Wilkinson's son. It includes appalling accounts of hidden pregnancies, harsh experience as a solo mother, dependence on drugs, intimate acquaintance with sexism and poverty, mental breakdown, and a perilous trip to China in wartime. There are deep friendships and hurtful betrayals. Always there is a dedicated and determined commitment to writing. ..."--Jacket.