Author Description

Robin Hyde's extraordinary but short life (1906-1939) included a precocious early career in New Zealand as a poet and parliamentary reporter. As a journalist, she juggled writing for the social pages with highly political reporting on unemployment, prison conditions, and the alienation of Maori land. Hyde struggled with drug addiction and depression, single motherhood, and a lengthy period as a voluntary patient in a residential clinic attached to Auckland Mental Hospital in Avondale called "The Lodge." Her life culminated in brilliant reporting on the Sino/Japanese War following a journey to China in 1938. Hyde also produced several major novels, largely during her time at "The Lodge," and several manuscripts of autobiographical writings, some written as part of her therapy. Your Unselfish Kindness gathers these writings together for the first time. The book's careful and well-researched introduction looks at the background to these writings, bringing many new insights to the study of