Ngaio Marsh: A Life [Hardcover]

Margaret Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

A lovingly crafted biography of New Zealand Crimewriting Queen, Ngaio Marsh who, like Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, wrote detective fiction during mystery's goldn age. Ngaio Marsh wrote more than thirty polished English detective novels between 1934 and her death in 1982. How did she do it? To say would give away the story of her life, but those who have already met her elegant sleuth Roderick Alleyn know he, too, kept his footing in diverse plots, managing the local idiom whether crime cracking in Britain, on the continent, or in New Zealand. Marsh's talent was as varied as her heritage. A gifted artist, a spirited dramatist, actress, and producer, her crime fiction embraces her triple interests. May are set in the worlds of art and theater.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Marsh (whose first name is pronounced nye-oh) penned more than 30 mystery novels before her death in 1982. Most of them featured series Detective Roderick Alleyn and have theatrical settings, with which Marsh was intimately familiar as a director and producer of plays in her native New Zealand. Biographer of mystery writer Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter: Ellis Peters, Dufour, 1994) and an author of crime fiction herself, Lewis was invited to write this biography by Marsh's estate. This enjoyable book, published in 1991 in the United Kingdom, gives the reader a good feel for Marsh's life while illuminating the ways certain events and circumstances inspired her fiction?as when she incorporated her direction of Macbeth into her mystery Light Thickens (Amereon, 1976). Considerable detail is also provided regarding her theatrical work. Recommended where there is a demand for literary biographies and an interest in golden-age mysteries?Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Marsh (whose first name is pronounced nye-oh) penned more than 30 mystery novels before her death in 1982. Most of them featured series Detective Roderick Alleyn and have theatrical settings with which Marsh was intimately familiar as a director and producer of plays in her native New Zealand. Biographer of mystery writer Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter: Ellis Peters, Dufour 1994) and an author of crime fiction herself, Lewis was invited to write this biography by Marsh's estate. This enjoyable book, published in 1991 in the United Kingdom, gives the reader a good feel for Marsh's life while illuminating the ways certain events and circumstances inspired her fiction-as when she incoporated her direction of Macbeth into her mystery Light Thickens (Amereon 1976). Considerable detail is also provided regarding her theatrical work. Recommended where there is a demand for literary biographies and an interest in golden-age mysteries. -- Library Journal, June 15, 1998

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890208051
• ISBN-13: 978-1890208059
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,505,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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