Janet Patterson Frame is generally considered one of New Zealand’s most distinguished writers of fiction, yet literary critics over the years have stressed the difficulty of coming to terms with her work. She published her first short story,

University Entrance

, in the

New Zealand Listener

in 1946. Her first book,

The Lagoon and Other Stories

, was published in Christchurch, by the Caxton Press, in 1951. Then came her first novel,

Owls Do Cry

, also published in Christchurch, in 1957, by the Pegasus Press. It has had a variety of other international publishers, notably George Braziller, who brought it out in New York in 1960. The front cover praised Frame as “the most talented writer to have come out of New Zealand since Katherine Mansfield”. The fact that

Owls Do Cry

has never been…

3099 words

Citation: Oettli-van Delden, Simone. "Owls Do Cry". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 April 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2970, accessed 22 November 2024.]

2970 Owls Do Cry 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.