Frank Sargeson
Encyclopedia
Frank Sargeson was the pen name of Norris Frank Davey. He is considered one of New Zealand's foremost short story
writer
s. Like Katherine Mansfield
, Sargeson helped to put New Zealand literature
on the world map.
Born in Hamilton
, Sargeson has been credited with introducing New Zealand English
into short stories. His technique was to write the story without mentioning the setting. He also used a semi-articulate style which means that the story was written from a naive point of view. Events are simply told but are not explained.
Although Sargeson became known for his literary depiction of the laconic and unsophisticated New Zealand male, his upbringing had in fact been comfortable albeit puritanical. Upon completing his training as a solicitor, he spent two years in the United Kingdom. Sometime in the 1930s, he began living year-round in his parents' holiday cottage at 14A Esmonde Road in Takapuna
, a northern suburb of Auckland. He eventually inherited the property which became for several decades an important gathering place for Auckland's bohemia
and literati
.
When Janet Frame
was released in 1955 from eight years of voluntary incarceration in New Zealand psychiatric hospitals, Sargeson invited her to stay in an ex-army hut on his property. He introduced her to other writers and affirmed her literary vocation and encouraged her to adopt good working habits. She lived in the shed for about a year, during which time she wrote her first novel, Owls Do Cry.
During the 1930s and 40s, Sargeson experienced considerable economic hardship, as his literary output earned him very little money. This experience left him permanently sympathetic to the Left. For example, he quietly advocated closer relations between New Zealand and Maoist China. He was also gay
at a time when sodomy
was illegal in New Zealand. In 1929, he was arrested on a morals charge in Wellington, but later acquitted. King (1995) believes that this trial explains why Sargeson adopted a pen name and never practiced the profession for which he had trained.
Sargeson died in Auckland.
ship run by the The Frank Sargeson Trust in association with Auckland University and sponsored by Buddle Findlay supports writer(s) to live in the Sargeson Centre, adjacent to the University of Auckland, with an annual stipend.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s. Like Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp Murry was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand and wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield. Mansfield left for Great Britain in 1908 where she encountered Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and...
, Sargeson helped to put New Zealand literature
New Zealand literature
New Zealand literature is essentially literature in English that is either written by New Zealanders, or migrants, dealing with New Zealand themes or places and is primarily a 20th Century creation...
on the world map.
Born in Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, Sargeson has been credited with introducing New Zealand English
New Zealand English
New Zealand English is the dialect of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and...
into short stories. His technique was to write the story without mentioning the setting. He also used a semi-articulate style which means that the story was written from a naive point of view. Events are simply told but are not explained.
Although Sargeson became known for his literary depiction of the laconic and unsophisticated New Zealand male, his upbringing had in fact been comfortable albeit puritanical. Upon completing his training as a solicitor, he spent two years in the United Kingdom. Sometime in the 1930s, he began living year-round in his parents' holiday cottage at 14A Esmonde Road in Takapuna
Takapuna
Takapuna is a central, coastal suburb of North Shore City, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitemata Harbour...
, a northern suburb of Auckland. He eventually inherited the property which became for several decades an important gathering place for Auckland's bohemia
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
and literati
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
.
When Janet Frame
Janet Frame
Janet Paterson Frame, ONZ, CBE was a New Zealand author. She wrote eleven novels, four collections of short stories, a book of poetry, an edition of juvenile fiction, and three volumes of autobiography during her lifetime. Since her death, a twelfth novel, a second volume of poetry, and a handful...
was released in 1955 from eight years of voluntary incarceration in New Zealand psychiatric hospitals, Sargeson invited her to stay in an ex-army hut on his property. He introduced her to other writers and affirmed her literary vocation and encouraged her to adopt good working habits. She lived in the shed for about a year, during which time she wrote her first novel, Owls Do Cry.
During the 1930s and 40s, Sargeson experienced considerable economic hardship, as his literary output earned him very little money. This experience left him permanently sympathetic to the Left. For example, he quietly advocated closer relations between New Zealand and Maoist China. He was also gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
at a time when sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
was illegal in New Zealand. In 1929, he was arrested on a morals charge in Wellington, but later acquitted. King (1995) believes that this trial explains why Sargeson adopted a pen name and never practiced the profession for which he had trained.
Sargeson died in Auckland.
Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship
A fellowFellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship run by the The Frank Sargeson Trust in association with Auckland University and sponsored by Buddle Findlay supports writer(s) to live in the Sargeson Centre, adjacent to the University of Auckland, with an annual stipend.
| Year | Writer | Genre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sue Orr | ||
| 2011 | Mark Broatch | ||
| 2010 | Sonja Yelich | ||
| 2010 | Sarah Laing | ||
| 2009 | Steve Braunias Steve Braunias Steve Braunias is an award-winning New Zealand author, columnist, journalist and editor.He has won 30 national awards for writing, including the 2009 Buddle Findlay Sargeson Literary fellowship, the 2010 CLL Non-Fiction Award, the supreme award as the 2006 Qantas Fellowship at the New Zealand... |
non-fiction Non-fiction Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact... author |
|
| 2009 | Julian Novitz | ||
| 2008 | Brigid Lowry | ||
| 2008 | Paula Morris | ||
| 2007 | James George | ||
| 2006 | Emily Perkins Emily Perkins (novelist) Emily Perkins is a New Zealand author.Perkins first won attention in 1996 with her first collection of stories, Not Her Real Name and Other Stories... |
novelist | |
| 2005 | Fiona Samuel | ||
| 2005 | Peter Cox Peter Cox Peter Cox may refer to:*Peter Cox , 1997 album from Go West member Peter Cox*Peter Cox , British vegetarian book author*Peter Cox , Australian politician... |
||
| 2004 | Karyn Hay Karyn Hay Karyn Hay is a New Zealand broadcaster and author, best known for hosting Radio With Pictures for five years during the 1980s. Currently a Radio Live host, Hay is married to Andrew Fagan, a former member of the New Zealand band The Mockers... |
broadcaster Presenter A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show... / novelist |
|
| 2004 | Craig Marriner Craig Marriner Craig Marriner is a novelist from Rotorua, New Zealand. His 2001 novel Stonedogs won a Montana New Zealand Book Award and in 2003 the film rights were sold to Australian production company Mushroom Pictures, a film based on the book is currently in production. His second novel Southern Style was... |
novelist | |
| 2003 | Toa Fraser Toa Fraser Toa Fraser, born in Britain in 1975, of a Fijian father and a British mother, is a playwright and film director. His second feature film, Dean Spanley, starring Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam and Peter O'Toole, premiered in September 2008.-Life:... |
playwright Playwright A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder... |
|
| 2003 | Debra Daley | ||
| 2002 | Riemke Ensing Riemke Ensing Riemke Ensing born 1939 in Groningen, The Netherlands is a New Zealand poet. She immigrated to New Zealand in 1951 at age twelve. She studied at Ardmore Teachers' Training College, then taught for two years, returning to the College to lecture in English literature for a year.Ensing earned a... |
poet Poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary... |
|
| 2002 | Denis Baker | ||
| 2001 | Vivienne Plumb | ||
| 2001 | Chad Taylor Chad Taylor (writer) -Life:Chad Taylor was born and raised in Auckland. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam and worked as assistant editor on Rip It Up magazine. Taylor was the recipient of the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship for literature in 2001 and was the University of Auckland Literary Fellow in... |
novelist | |
| 2000 | Sue Reidy | ||
| 2000 | James Brown James Brown (disambiguation) James Brown was an American entertainer.Jim Brown is an American football player and film actor.- United Kingdom and Isle of Man :... |
||
| 2000 | Charlotte Grimshaw Charlotte Grimshaw -Career:Grimshaw's first book, Provocation , drew on her experience as a criminal lawyer.Her second book, Guilt , followed the lives of four characters in Auckland in 1987.... |
short story writer | |
| 1999 | Tina Shaw | ||
| 1999 | Kapka Kassabova Kapka Kassabova Kapka Kassabova is a poet, essayist and travel writer who was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1973. After leaving Bulgaria as a teenager and living in England and New Zealand, she now resides in Edinburgh, Scotland.... |
poet Poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary... |
|
| 1998 | Catherine Chidgey Catherine Chidgey Catherine Chidgey was born in New Zealand in 1970 and grew up in the Hutt Valley. She has degrees in creative writing, psychology, and German literature.... |
novelist | |
| 1998 | Sarah Quigley | ||
| 1997 | Shonagh Koea | ||
| 1997 | Diane Brown | ||
| ?? | Kevin Ireland Kevin Ireland Kevin Mark Ireland is a New Zealand poet, short story writer, novelist and librettist.-Life:He lived in England in 1959 for twenty-five years... |
poet | |
| ?? | Alan Duff Alan Duff Alan Duff is a New Zealand novelist and newspaper columnist, most well known as the author of Once Were Warriors.- Biography :... |
novelist | |
| ?? | Elspeth Sandys | ||
| ?? | Michael King Michael King Michael King, OBE was a New Zealand popular historian, author and biographer. He wrote or edited over 30 books on New Zealand topics, including The Penguin History of New Zealand, which was the most popular New Zealand book of 2004.-Life:King was born in Wellington to Eleanor and Commander Lewis... |
||
| ?? | Marilyn Duckworth Marilyn Duckworth Marilyn Duckworth OBE is a novelist, poet and short story writer. She has published sixteen novels, one novella, a collection of short stories and a collection of poetry. She has also written for television and radio.... |
||
| 1984 | Janet Frame Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame, ONZ, CBE was a New Zealand author. She wrote eleven novels, four collections of short stories, a book of poetry, an edition of juvenile fiction, and three volumes of autobiography during her lifetime. Since her death, a twelfth novel, a second volume of poetry, and a handful... |
External links
- Biography and links, by the New Zealand Book Council.
- Takapuna Library. Contact the Library to make an appointment to visit the Sargeson's house in Takapuna.
- Lay, Graeme, ed., North Shore Literary Walks.
- Sargeson Fellowship for a writer-in-residence, sponsored by Buddle, Findlay