Introduction: Sylvia, a New Zealander

Abstract

Sylvia Ashton-Warner had an intensely ambivalent relationship with the land of her birth. Despite receiving many accolades in New Zealand – including the country’s major literary award – she claimed to have been rejected and persecuted, and regularly announced that her educational and literary achievements were unappreciated or insufficiently acknowledged by her compatriots. In her darkest moments, she railed against New Zealand and New Zealander, even stating in one television interview: “I’m not a New Zealander!”