Sylvia!: A Biography of Sylvia Ashton-Warner
Teacher-novelist Ashton-Warner is revealed in this rich, lively biography as a contradictory figure who, early on, "was never one to let facts cloud the drama of a good story." Although her unorthodox approach to teaching Maori children--formulated on the concept of "key vocabulary" based on native imagery--won her international fame as an innovator, Ashton-Warner frequently expressed her dislike of teaching. This biography, the first book by New Zealand freelancer Wood, supplies factual evidence as to the parallels between Ashton-Warner's ambivalence in areas of her own life and that of the heroines of her novels, especially the bestseller Spinster. We're shown that life on her own terms was a condition set down by Ashton-Warner. She was born in 1906 into an eccentric New Zealand family; she combined a nontraditional marriage with an erratic career as teacher-writer. She thrived on love-hate relationships, was a deeply restless woman, flirtatious even in old age, alcoholic and, yet, as her biographer demonstrates, strangely charismatic. Photos.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.