'One of the most impressive accounts of madness to be found in literature' ANITA BROOKNER

'Lyrical, touching and deeply entertaining' JOHN MORTIMER, OBSERVER

'Any one of her books could be published today and it would be ground-breaking' ELEANOR CATTON

'I was now an established citizen with little hope of returning across the frontier; I was in the crazy world, separated now by more than locked doors and barred windows from the people who called themselves sane.'

When Janet Frame's doctor suggested that she write about her traumatic experiences in mental institutions in order to free herself from them, the result was Faces in the Water, a powerful and poignant novel.

Istina Mavet descends through increasingly desolate wards, with the threat of leucotomy ever present. As she observes her fellow patients, long dismissed by hospital staff with humour and compassion, she reveals her original and questing mind. This riveting novel became an international classic, translated into nine languages, and has also been used as a medical school text.

*Review coverage *Featured on the Virago website

About the Author

Janet Frame (1924-2004) is New Zealand's most famous writer. She was a novelist, poet, essayist and short-story writer. She sought the support and company of fellow writers and set out single-mindedly and courageously to achieve her goal of being a writer. She wrote her first novel, Owls Do Cry while staying with her mentor Frank Sargeson, and then left New Zealand, not to return for seven years.

Her autobiography inspired Jane Campion's acclaimed film, An Angel at My Table. She was an honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Literature and won the Commonwealth Literature Prize. In 1983 she was awarded the CBE.

Reviews
One of the most impressive accounts of madness to be found in literature . . . A masterpiece
Lyrical, touching and deeply entertaining * Observer *
What an extraordinary woman she is, overcoming such obstacles, and making fresh and good use of them in her work
Janet Frame's luminous words are the more precious because they were snatched from the jaws of the disaster of her early life . . . and yet to read her is no more difficult than breathing
Janet Frame is the greatest New Zealand writer. She is utterly herself. Any one of her books could be published today and it would be ground-breaking



Book Information
ISBN 9781844084616
Author Janet Frame
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 166g
Dimensions(mm) 133mm * 181mm * 16mm