New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield entered the world October 14, 1888. 

Katherine Mansfield was a pioneer in the literary modernist movement.  

A broadly defined multinational cultural movement (or series of movements) that took hold in the late 19th century and reached its most radical peak on the eve of World War I. It grew out of the philosophical, scientific, political, and ideological shifts that followed the Industrial Revolution, up to World War I and its aftermath. For artists and writers, the Modernist project was a re-evaluation of the assumptions and aesthetic values of their predecessors. Modernism | Poetry Foundation

New Zealand Post released a 4 stamp series in 2023 dedicated to Mansfield on the 100th anniversary of her death. 

 

  

Katherine Mansfield, Author 
‘I want to be all that I am capable of becoming
‘I’m a writer first and a woman after’
‘Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others’ 
‘To be alive and … a ‘writer’ is enough’

Designer: Caitlin McArthur, NZ Post
Congratulations to Caitlin on her first stamp design.
McArthur describes herself as a “… Designer, Storyteller and Design Thinker passionate about human-centered design”. 
She worked with Katherine Mansfield House and Garden and the Alexander Turnbull Library to create this celebration of Mansfield’s life.

NZ post also issued two colourful first day covers and a special souvenir folder.

 

The Poetry Foundation has a brief, but illuminating bio on Mansfield and how WW1 deeply affected her outlook on the world:

In France during the summer of 1915, Mansfield spent time with her brother Leslie, reflecting on their family and life in New Zealand. Tragically, Leslie was killed during training for service in WWI; “blown to bits” while demonstrating how to throw a hand grenade, remarked Mansfield. Following his death, she drew upon the memories of New Zealand discussed with her brother in writing some of her most well-known work, including Bliss and Other Stories (1920), The Garden Party, and Other Stories (1922), and her novel The Aloe (1930).  Katherine Mansfield | Poetry Foundation

Illustration by Duncan McPhee for Mansfield’s short story Bliss

Originally posted on the NZ 2023 stamp page