Patricia Frances Gunson was born on August 17th, 1937, in Wellington, New Zealand. Her mother, Joyce Flan, was a Pākehā (white European) of Irish origins, and her father, Edward Gunson, was predominantly Māori (indigenous New Zealander). She has two brothers and one sister. Her mixed parentage made her “conscious of living in two family worlds-–the contrasting worlds of my mother’s and father’s families” (“Influences on Writing”: 65). She says that she “became adept at moving from foot to foot between these two families and was confident and secure in both of these family worlds” (65). Through her father, she is a descendant of the Ngāti Rauwaka, Ngāti Toa and Te Āti Awa tribes. When Grace was five, her father left to serve with the Māori Batallion in Italy during…
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Citation: Oettli-van Delden, Simone. "Patricia Grace". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 October 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1827, accessed 24 November 2024.]
