Living in the Maniototo

novel by Frame

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July 20, 2026

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Living in the Maniototo is a novel by Janet Frame, a prominent New Zealand writer known for exploring themes of alienation and isolation. Published in 1979, this novel is described as a surreal exploration of the mind of a woman who seems to have multiple identities. Frame's work often delves into the ambiguous boundaries between sanity and madness, and her unique narrative style frequently employs frame stories to convey subjective experiences and individual realities. Her writing, including this novel, reflects a society grappling with disorder and irrationality.1

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Janet Frame
…structured work fixated on death; Living in the Maniototo (1979), a surreal exploration of the mind of a woman who appears to have several identities; and The Carpathians (1988), an allegory-laden investigation of language and memory. The latter work earned her the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (later called the Commonwealth Book…
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…structured work fixated on death; Living in the Maniototo (1979), a surreal exploration of the mind of a woman who appears to have several identities; and The Carpathians (1988), an allegory-laden investigation of language and memory. The latter work earned her the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (later called the Commonwealth Book…
Read More