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A State of Siege
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Brief Description
Magical powers inhabit the land to which Malfred Signal retires β freed at last of her responsibilities to a dying mother and the generations of young ladies who have learned perfect drawing techniques in her classes. Her first night in the idyllic island retreat that is...
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A State of Siege
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A retired art teacher is beset one stormy night by terrifying knocking at the door in this unforgettable psychological portrait from the author of The Edge of the Alphabet.
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Description
Magical powers inhabit the land to which Malfred Signal retires β freed at last of her responsibilities to a dying mother and the generations of young ladies who have learned perfect drawing techniques in her classes.
Her first night in the idyllic island retreat that is to be her new home is one of terror: a storm is raging, an intruder pounding on her door, and calls to the police, the priest and the doctor over her still-unconnected telephone bring no result.
This is the state of siege, painted in pigments of dark and light, the brush dipped in themes of selfhood and loneliness, of death and its counterpart, the need to survive, to live.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781804271995
Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 06 November 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Fitzcarraldo Editions
Contributors:
- Introduction by Chris Kraus
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 121.0mm
Height: 197.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 256
Collections
About the Author
Janet Frame (1924-2004) was a celebrated New Zealand author of novels, short stories, poetry and the three-volume autobiography An Angel at My Table that was adapted for cinema by Jane Campion. Janet Frame won numerous local and international literary prizes including the Commonwealth Prize for Best Book. She was an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and held two honorary doctorates. She was awarded a CBE in 1983 and in 1990 she was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest civil honour. Her work is in print around the world and has been translated into many languages.
Also by Janet Frame
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An Angel At My Table
An Angel at My Table by Janet Frame is a poignant and compelling autobiography that traces the extraordinary journey of one of New Zealand's most acclaimed authors. The narrative begins with her enchanting childhood, unfolding the wonders and curiosities of her early years. As Frame grows, she faces the dark and harrowing experiences of being misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, resulting in...Paperback$2300Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Owls Do Cry
So the day promised fair, and the sea lay like a quilt with the waves tucked under, and the trees wavering like leafless water, cut to fit from a transparent block of blue air and frost. Owls Do Cry tells the story of the Withers family - Francie, who is twelve and about to start work at the woollen mills,...Paperback$1799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Edge of the Alphabet
The Edge of the Alphabet by Janet Frame is a poignant exploration of identity, alienation, and the quest for meaning. The novel opens with Toby Withers, a young man with epilepsy, who finds himself adrift after the death of his mother. Determined to start anew, he departs from New Zealand, embarking on a ship bound for England. Onboard, he encounters...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
In the Memorial Room
In the Memorial Room is a brilliant black comedy by the celebrated author of An Angel at My Table. Harry Gill, a moderately successful writer of historical fiction, has been awarded the annual Watercress-Armstrong Fellowshipβa 'living memorial' to the poet Margaret Rose Hurndell. He arrives in the French Riviera town of Menton, where Hurndell once lived and worked, to write....Paperback$1799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
An Angel At My Table
Janet Frame's luminous words are the more precious because they were snatched from the jaws of the disaster of her early life. It is one of the classics of autobiography. She knew that a writer must search her soul in order to say anything that is essential β Hilary Mantel Janet Frame is the greatest New Zealand writer. She is...PaperbackSold Out
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