Margaret Mahy was a prolific New Zealand writer for children and young adults, celebrated for her ability to remake the world in works that are by turns magical, joyful, funny, and sinister. She was one of most successful authors to emerge from New Zealand, having received many honours and awards, amongst them the Order of New Zealand (in 1993) and the highly prestigious Hans Christian Andersen award for a lasting contribution to children’s literature (in 2006). Mahy wrote novels, stories, poems, songs, plays and screenplays, but also advocated strongly for both children’s literature and indigenous writing about her homeland.
Mahy was born in Whakatane on 21 March 1936 to parents who valued their English connections and encouraged word-play and story-making. Her mother, May, was a
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Citation: Waller, Alison. "Margaret Mahy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 September 2010; last revised 12 August 2022. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2880, accessed 24 April 2024.]
