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Perfectly Frank - The Life of a New Zealand Writer

Television (Full Length) – 1998

Biographer Michael King takes us through the life of pioneering writer Frank Sargeson: from puritanical parents to self-discovery in London, through to decades encouraging an emerging tide of New Zealand writers. The documentary’s most priceless moments are the tales told when four of those writers return to Sargeson’s fabled fibrolite bach, in Takapuna. Kevin Ireland calls it an “oasis, this marvellous place where books ruled supreme”. Sargeson’s purposefuly minimalistic writing style, the doco argues, helped NZ literature find its own voice.

Produced by

Logo for Morrison Grieve

Morrison Grieve

Acknowledgements

Made with funding from NZ On Air
Based on Frank Sargeson:A Life by Michael King. The works of Frank Sargeson are used with the permission of the Sargeson Trust.

Music

Original music by Greg Johnson.