Thieves

by Janice Kulyk Keefer

New Zealand-born Katherine Mansfield was one of the most original and influential writers of her generation. Her life also inspired two unlikely fans...Decades after her death, a father and son have each become obsessed by her. What can this woman' life mean to them> Is she merely an object of admiration, or is she a focus for darker impulses of ambition and self-seeking?Inspired by the true story of the theft of some of Katherine Mansfield's most poignant letters, Thieves investigates both the life of this remarkable creative spirit, and the seductive facility with which desire can breed deception.

Genres: Fiction

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

She is a Canadian novelist and poet.

Born in Toronto, she studied literature at universities in England and France. She teaches literature and theatre in the graduate studies department at the University Of Guelph.

Of Ukrainian heritage, Janice often writes about the experiences of first-generation Canadian children of immigrants. Her sister is the Canadian artist, Karen Kulyk.

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Thieves is a clever, dissembling, genre-busting tumult of a novel.” — Ottawa Citizen—
I couldn’t agree more. It could be nothing less considering the short, haphazard, tragic life of Katherine Mansfield.
I think it was a brilliant approach as the author wove the stories of the people researching the life of the main character into the fabric of the memoir. I was almost tempted to give up due to the challenge of the circuitous plot. However it turned out to be very worthwhile to finish the book.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Janice Kulyk Keefer's historical novel Thieves is based on the frightening but exciting
life of writer Katherine Mansfield. This woman lived life on the edge, hanging on to her wish to
write by her fingernails and getting into many unsavory situations. A friend and rival of Virginia Woolf, she persues the literary intelligencia of London and often uses shock value to get attention.
She travels as many did in those days to Italy and France following the 'artistic' crowd as a hanger on as well as a person of interest. Most of the things she did were done from fear of never being appreciated for her brilliance. She dies alone of tuberculosis.. people thought it was contagious and her friends abandoned her. This book is written as a novel about a man who discovers some of her manuscripts and through them recognizes his own path of ambition and is forced to take a second look at his life. I love the way Keefer wraps fiction around biography. Ingenious.