Stella Jones (writer)
Stella Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stella Marjorie Claridge 5 April 1904 Kimbolton, New Zealand |
| Died | 6 June 1991 (aged 87) New Zealand |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Notable work | The Tree (1957) |
Stella Marjorie Jones (née Claridge, 5 April 1904 – 6 June 1991) was a New Zealand playwright and writer.
Biography[edit]
Jones was born in Kimbolton, near Feilding, New Zealand. She had six sisters and two brothers and her parents were Louise Mary Claridge (née Taylor) and James Henry Claridge.[1] She grew up in a variety of small towns around the country, as her father was a newspaper editor and worked on a number of regional and small-town papers. In 1931, she married Arthur Thomas Jones.[1]
Jones began her career writing short stories and articles which were published in the literary journal Landfall.[2] However, she is best known for writing the successful play The Tree (1957), the story of ageing parents and their three daughters, one of whom returns to the family home after a 15-year absence.[3] Jones had submitted the play to the 1956 Southland Provincial Centennial competition for an unpublished play, winning second place.[4] Nevertheless, the play was rejected by a number of New Zealand theatres. It was purchased by a London agent, and it had its professional debut in Bristol, England.[3] After success in England, the New Zealand Players, who had previously rejected it, toured the country with the play.[3][5] The play was one of the first New Zealand plays to reach a wide audience, and was praised by critics. The New Zealand Herald newspaper wrote that it was a "compelling and first-class piece of work".[3]
Later in her career Jones wrote radio plays, including the acclaimed Between Seasons (1965) and Julia's Day (1972).[2][6] She also published two papers in the Auckland-Waikato Historical Journal in 1979 and 1980, analysing her father's contributions to the development of newspapers in New Zealand.[7][8]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Jones, Stella". www.aucklandcity.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ a b Robinson, Roger, ed. (1998). The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Auckland: Oxford University Press. p. 273. ISBN 0 19 558348 5.
- ^ a b c d "New Zealand Theatre: theatre reviews, performance reviews - Theatreview". www.theatreview.org.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Prizes commemorative of national and local occasions". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Plays and playwrights – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". www.teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ "Art students receive Auckland War Memorial Museum grants - The University of Auckland". www.arts.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ "Newspapers | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ Harvey, Douglas (1997). Book & Print in New Zealand: A Guide to Print Culture in Aotearoa. Wellington: Victoria University Press. p. 72. ISBN 0 86473 331 3.