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ISSN 2040-2597 (Online) NNEWSLETTEREWSLETTER Issue 11 April 2012 Francis Carco Exhibition, Montparnasse; photo by Donna McPherson Inside: KMS News and Competition Results..…………………………………………………………………………….….Page 2 Report on Francis Carco Exhibition, Montparnasse by Donna McPherson………………………………………...Page 3 Conference Update: Katherine Mansfield and Continental Europe, Ružomberok, Slovakia (June 2012)….…Page 5 ‘The Biographer at Fontainebleau’ by Kathleen Jones………………………………………………………….……Page 6 CFP: In the Footsteps of Katherine Mansfield, Crans-Montana, Switzerland (September 2012)………………....Page 7 Garden Party Book Launch of Kezia by Kevin Boon.………………………………………………………….…….Page 8 Announcement: KMS Essay Prize…………………………………………………………………………………....Page 10 Katherine Mansfield in the US by Todd Martin……………………………………………………………………...Page 11 CFP: Katherine Mansfield Masked and Unmasked, Wellington, New Zealand (February 2013)……..……….….Page 13 Books…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Page 14 CFP: Teaching Resources for the KMS Newsletter…………………………………………………………………..Page 17 CFP: Ford Madox Ford’s Parade’s End: Modernism and the First World War………………………………….Page 18 Issue 11 April 2012 Page 2 KMS News Welcome to the latest edition of the KMS Newsletter! Preparations are well underway for several KMS and KM-related events in the coming months, details of which you’ll find in- terspersed throughout this issue; we look forward to bringing you further updates and reports on all of these in future issues. For now, though, there’s plenty to report from the wider KM world. Inside, you’ll find accounts of a Parisian exhibition about the life and works of Fran- cis Carco (Page 3); reports on recent KM-panels at a number of U.S. conferences (page 11); and an exclusive from KM-biographer Kathleen Jones, the poem ‘The Biographer at Fon- tainebleau’. We also have a report on the Wellington launch of Kevin Boon’s new novella Kezia, which is based on KM’s New Zealand childhood (page 8). To read Gerri Kimber’s review of the book itself, turn to the book pages (page 14), where you’ll also find Susan Reid’s thoughts on a range of recent publications on KM, Modernism and the Postcolonial. Finally, we’re pleased to announce the KMS’s new call for KM-related Teaching Re- sources—turn to page 17 for more information! There are a busy few months approaching for the KMS, and as ever, the KMS Newsletter will be on hand to keep you up to date. We’re always happy to consider contributions from KMS members, so please do email any submissions to the editor at: [email protected] or [email protected] We look forward to hearing from you! Jenny McDonnell Newsletter Editor COMPETITION We had a fantastic response to last issue’s competition, where we asked you to answer the following piece of KM-trivia: The mother of a famous New Zealand literary figure was once housekeeper for Katherine Mansfield’s paternal grandparents in Picton. Who was that literary figure? The answer, of course, was Janet Frame; her mother Lottie Godfrey was the housekeeper in question. Well done to all who answered correctly! The winner was drawn at random from all correct entries, so congratulations go to J. Matheson-Spencer. Your prize – a copy of Kevin Boon’s Kezia – is en route! This time around, Linda Lappin has kindly provided a copy of the new edition of Kath- erine’s Wish as a competition prize. She’s also set this issue’s competition question: While at the Prieure, KM was befriended by an eminent Jungian who was to become a pioneer in holistic medicine. Who was that person? Get your thinking caps on! Please send your answers to the editor at [email protected] The winner will be drawn at random and announced in the next issue of the KMS Newsletter. Published by the Katherine Mansfield Society, Bath, England Issue 11 April 2012 Page 3 ‘Francis Carco, Bohème D’Artistes’ at the Musée du Montparnasse January 6 – February 26 2012 by Donna McPherson Almost hidden along the Avenue du Maine is the Chemin du Montparnasse, an enchanting alley abounding with winter dormant plants. It is an attractive remnant of the early twentieth century that is still used for studio space. The Musée du Montparnasse is towards the back along the left in what was the Cantine des Artistes, a canteen and studio run by Marie Vassilieff and frequented by Picasso, Modigliani, Chagall, Braque and other members of the Montparnasse group of artists, the milieu of Francis Carco. The exhibition was intimate, informal and inspiring, telling the life, art and times of Frances Carco, poet, novelist, journalist, song-writer, Goncourt academician and friend of leading artists and writers of the first half of the twentieth century. On display were manuscripts, letters, and many editions of Carco’s novels and poems, some de- lightfully illustrated by his friends. Photographs, cinema posters, and some of Carco’s art collection, along with newspaper cuttings, evoked the décor Carco took pleasure in relating. Carco described the haunts of artists, writers, thugs, thieves and grisettes of la vie Bohème of pre-WWI Montmartre and the Montparnasse. Issue 11 April 2012 Page 4 On the ground floor gallery of the Musée du Montparnasse artefacts of Carco’s youth and recollections of youth were on display. Ascend the wrought iron spiral stairs and the world of pre-war Montmartre was evoked in photographs and illustrations, especially of the infa- mous bar Le Lapin Agile. Head to the gallery to the left and there was the display of Kathe- rine Mansfield memorabilia. The article Mes Souvenirs sur Katherine Mansfield was on the wall, depicting Carco, Mansfield and 13 Quai aux Fleurs (Carco’s flat in which Mansfield stayed and began writing The Aloe). Below in a glass cabinet the folder cover of Souvenirs sur Katherine Mansfield was used to hold open a signed copy of Les Innocents, a 1916 novel that contains an unsympathetic por- trayal of Mansfield as Winnie Campbell. In addition there was an annotated article titled by hand, A la Memoire de Katherine Mansfield. Within in the context of the exhibition their in- terlude and attraction could be felt. I came away with a sense of Carco and their brief pas- sionate embrace. Issue 11 April 2012 Page 5 KATHERINE MANSFIELD AND CONTINENTAL EUROPE An International Conference hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Letters, Catholic University in Ružomberok, Slovakia in association with the Katherine Mansfield Society 27-29 June 2012 REGISTRATION /ACCOMMODATION DETAILS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE SPECIAL CONFER- ENCE WEBSITE: http://km-slovakia.ku.sk/ Keynote Speakers: Angela Smith, C. K. Stead, Maurizio Ascari, Gerri Kimber, Claire Davison-Pégon Having arrived in London from New Zealand in 1908 to commence her life as a writer, Katherine Mansfield travelled widely in Europe during the 1910s and early 1920s. Rarely was this for pleasure; the notion of escap- ing from a situation, people, and later her search for a cure for tuberculosis, predetermined much of her jour- neying. The resonances of this constant travelling and immersion in foreign cultures can be perceived in both her personal writing and her creative endeavours. Conference venue: The conference will take place on the premises of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, at the Catholic University in Ružomberok. About the University: The Catholic University in Ružomberok is a state university established in 2000. Being so young, we don’t have much history but the advantage is that we can create that history ourselves. The Department of English Language and Literature, which will organize the conference in cooperation with the Katherine Mansfield Soci- ety, has just celebrated its 15th year, having being previously a part of the school that developed into the new university. About Ružomberok: Ružomberok is a small industrial town in the north of Slovakia, quite close to the Polish border. Although in itself a typical industrial city with hardly any places of interest (apart from our department!), Ružomberok is surrounded by spectacular forests and mountains and its surrounding countryside is a favourite place for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. On approaching it from the south-west (where you would most probably ap- proach it from), one passes through the valley of the river Váh, which is adorned by a range of old medieval castles (most of them in ruins) that were built to create a certain chain of communication. The defenders of one could always see the castles next to theirs and communicate by fire signals in case of emergency, or shoot can- non balls at each other for fun when they were extremely bored. Accompanying events Trip to Poland: This will take place on Saturday, 30 June. We will do our best to spend as much of the day in Krakow as possi- ble—we will certainly visit the Wyspianski Museum and the stained glass window in the Franciscan church, the inspiration for two of KM’s poems. Other events: We have been contacted by a group of Ukrainian film-makers who have just made a film based on KM’s ‘A Cup of Tea’, and if all goes well, the film will be screened at the conference and you’ll have the opportunity to speak to the director, producer and the main actress. The Facebook page for the film is at: http:// www.facebook.com/Cup.of.Tea.Short.Film Further excursion: As we could never take you to Poland without first showing you a bit of Slovakia, we are planning a small trip (sort of a short-break in between the academic debate). Further details available on our website: http://km-slovakia.ku.sk/ Issue 11 April 2012 Page 6 The Biographer at Fontainebleau I came, by accident, to Avon the same October day she’d chosen. Eighty years between us and the limes lighting the avenue like torches.