I love Katherine Mansfield, and I love Notting Hill Editions, so I ran towards the chance to read My Katherine Mansfield Project (2015) by Kirsty Gunn when it came up for grabs over at Shiny New Books. And it was very much a pleasure. You can read the full review over at SNB, and – as is becoming usual – below is the beginning of my review, to tempt you:
The premise for My Katherine Mansfield Project is admittedly rather niche. If one is not already a fan of Kirsty Gunn, then one had better be a fan of Katherine Mansfield (so one might think). This long essay is in essence an homage to Mansfield and her homeland and her legacy – yet, at the same time, it can be enjoyed simply as one author admiring and experiencing communion with another, while admiring and experiencing communion with a beautiful place.