Margaret Mahy

Early life

Mahy was born in 1936, the eldest of five children. Mahy's mother Helen Penlington was a teacher. She was regarded as a 'slow learner', and particularly hated mathematics. Her first published story was "Harry is Bad", written at age seven (published in the children's page of the Bay of Plenty Beacon). Later she showed it to children when she visited schools, to let them know that they could write stories at any age.

She went to the local high school, where she was acknowledged as a talented swimmer.

Education

Mahy completed her B.A. at Auckland University College (1952–1954) and Canterbury University College, graduating in 1955. In 1956 she trained at the New Zealand Library School, Wellington as a librarian.

Personal life

From around 1965, Mahy lived at Governors Bay on the Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand. She was writing about a person being tattooed and considered the tattoo research to enable her to describe the experience convincingly.

In 2007, Mahy adopted a cavoodle puppy she named Honey, because of her colour. Mahy died at the Nurse Maude Hospice in St Albans, Christchurch on 23 July 2012, aged 76. She had been diagnosed with an inoperable cancerous jaw tumour in April 2012 and had been moved to a hospice about nine days before her death.

Her final book Tale of a Tail, published posthumously in 2014, was commissioned by Polish photographer Tomasz Gudzowaty.

Career

She worked as a librarian in Petone, the School Library Service in Christchurch, and in 1976 was appointed Children's Librarian at Canterbury Public Library. During this time many of her stories were published in the New Zealand School Journal and her first book saw her become known internationally. A Lion in the Meadow was a School Journal story from 1965. It was published in 1969 by J.M. Dent in the U.K. and Franklin Watts in the U.S., as a large-format picture book illustrated by Jenny Williams. Also in 1969, William Heinemann Ltd and Watts published another large-format picture book, The Dragon of an Ordinary Family with illustrations by Helen Oxenbury, who won the Greenaway Medal from the British librarians recognising the year's best illustrated children's book. There were three others in that same year.

Mahy wrote several fantasy novels, including The Haunting and The Changeover.Mary Corran, "Mahy, Margaret" in St. James Guide To Fantasy Writers, ed. David Pringle, London, St. James Press, 1996, , (pp. 383–85).

Mahy became a full-time writer in 1980. She went on to win numerous book awards and honours for her contributions to New Zealand and to children's literature. One was an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Canterbury. In 1985 she established the Margaret Mahy Fees Scholarship at the University of Canterbury.

The Margaret Mahy Medal Award was established by the New Zealand Children's Book Foundation in 1991 to provide recognition of excellence in children's literature, publishing and literacy in New Zealand.

On 6 February 1993, Mahy was appointed a Member of the Order of New Zealand, for her contributions to children's literature. In March 2009 she was commemorated as one of the Twelve Local Heroes and a bronze bust of her was unveiled outside the Christchurch Arts Centre.

In 2010 her book Kaitangata Twitch was adapted for television and aired on Māori Television. Directed by Yvonne Mackay and produced by The Production Shed.TV, the series includes a cameo appearance by Margaret Mahy in a library scene.

Awards

The biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books. Mahy received the writing award in 2006. Jury president Jeffrey Garrett wrote in the press release:

In awarding the 2006 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Writing to Margaret Mahy, the jury has recognized one of the world's most original re-inventors of language. Mahy's language is rich in poetic imagery, magic, and supernatural elements. Her oeuvre provides a vast, numinous, but intensely personal metaphorical arena for the expression and experience of childhood and adolescence. Equally important, however, are her rhymes and poems for children. Mahy's works are known to children and young adults all over the world.

Mahy won the Carnegie Medal in 1982 for The Haunting. In 1984 she won the medal again for The Changeover. In 2005 she won the Phoenix Award for The Catalogue of the Universe.

The Margaret Mahy Award, named for Mahy, is presented annually to "a person who has made a significant contribution to the broad field of children's literature and literacy". Mahy was the first recipient of the award in 1991. Lectures by the winners are published, the standard of which was set by Mahy's inaugural lecture, Surprising Moments.

In 2013, the top prize for young adult fiction at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards was renamed the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award. Also in 2013, a playground based on her work was commissioned to be built in Christchurch's East Frame.

Some other awards:

• Italian Premier Grafico Award, The Wind Between the Stars, 1976
• Dutch Silver Pencil Award, The Boy Who Was Followed Home, 1977
• New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, Best Young Adult Novel, 2003, Alchemy
• Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement (2005)
• Phoenix Award, 2005, The Catalogue of the Universe (1985)
• Phoenix Award runner-up (Honor Book), 2006, The Tricksters
• Sir Julius Vogel Award, 2006, for services to New Zealand science fiction and fantasy
• Phoenix Award, 2007, Memory
• New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, Children's Book of the Year, 2011, The Moon and Farmer McPhee—picture book written by Mahy and illustrated by David Elliot

The Phoenix Award from the Children's Literature Association designates the best English-language children's book that did not win a major award when it was originally published twenty years earlier. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes, to suggest the book's rise from obscurity. Mahy is one of three authors to win it twice (1985 to 2012).

Works

Main article: List of works by Margaret Mahy

Mahy wrote more than 100 picture books, 40 novels and 20 collections of short stories published between 1969 and 2014.

Notes

Today there are usually eight books on the Carnegie shortlist. CCSU lists 32 "Highly Commended" runners up from 1966 to 2002 but only three before 1979 when the distinction became approximately annual. From 1979 there were 29 "HC" books in 24 years including Mahy alone in 1987. U.S. Library of Congress catalogue records cover ten 1969 books written by Mahy, all evidently large-format picture books (22/23cm x 28/29cm, 26pp to 42pp). They are the British and American editions of five titles with five illustrators and three British publishers, all published by Watts in the U.S.

References

References

1. Taylor, William. "Margaret Mahy, A Memory". Bookbird.
2. "Questions kids ask Margaret Mahy". [[Christchurch City Libraries]].
3. (17 December 2015). "$3m playground ready to open". [[The Press]].
4. Vitello, Paul. (25 July 2012). "Margaret Mahy, Children's Author, Dies at 76". The New York Times.
5. (1998). "Oxford companion to New Zealand Literature". Oxford University Press.
6. "Interview with Margaret Mahy". [[Christchurch City Libraries]].
7. Samdog Design Ltd. "New Zealand Book Council Biography". Bookcouncil.org.nz.
8. (2 August 2012). "NZ author Margaret Mahy dies: report". News Limited.
9. Taylor, Phil. (28 July 2012). "Margaret Mahy: Enchanted by life's possibilities". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
10. Casinader, Jehan. (9 January 2009). "Magic for our young minds". Fairfax Media.
11. Somreset, Guy. (24 July 2012). "Memories of Margaret Mahy". New Zealand Listener.
12. Knight, Kim. (6 April 2014). "The truth behind Margaret Mahy's last book".
13. Catherine Butler [https://www.academia.edu/17220394/Margaret_Mahy_Librarian_of_Babel "Margaret Mahy: Librarian of Babel"]. ''The Lion and the Unicorn''; number 2, 2015
14. Eccleshare, Julia. (26 July 2012). "Margaret Mahy obituary: Versatile and prolific writer of children's books". [[The Guardian]].
15. "Margaret Mahy Awards & honours". [[Christchurch City Libraries]].
16. "Undergraduate scholarships at Canterbury". Canterbury.ac.nz.
17. Hartevelt, John. (19 March 2009). "Creative mistake for a creative writer". [[The Press]].
18. [http://www.kaitangatatwitch.co.nz/ "Kaitangata Twitch"]. Website dedicated to the screen adaptation. Production Shed TV (kaitangatatwitch.co.nz). 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
19. "Margaret Mahy Award". Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand.
20. (2013). "Margaret Mahy Medal Award". Christchurch City Libraries (christchurchcitylibraries.com).
21. (29 April 2013). "Book award named after author Mahy". 3 News NZ (3news.co.nz).
22. Brownlee, Gerry. (23 May 2013). "Playground honours Margaret Mahy ONZ". New Zealand Government.
23. Bateman, D. 2005. ''Bateman New Zealand Encyclopedia'': Sixth Edition. David Bateman Ltd. p. 407.
24. (28 September 2011). "2003 Awards: (New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards) Winners and Finalists 2003". Booksellers New Zealand (booksellers.co.nz).
25. "Previous winners". [[Creative New Zealand]].
26. (2012). "Sir Julius Vogel Awards". Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand, Inc. (sffanz.org.nz).
27. (18 May 2011). "2011 Awards: New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards Winners 2011". Booksellers New Zealand (booksellers.co.nz).
28. (2012-07-23). "Mahy bibliography at fantasticfiction". Fantasticfiction.co.uk.
29. (2012). "Margaret Mahy, a biography". [[Christchurch City Libraries]] (library.christchurch.org.nz).
30. "Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners: The Haunting, Carnegie Winner 1982". [[CILIP]].
31. "Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners: The Changeover, Carnegie Winner 1984". CILIP.
32. Curriculum Lab:CCSU Burritt Library. "Carnegie Medal Award". [[Central Connecticut State University]].