The divine Ms M...

Margaret Mahy died yesterday, July 23rd. 76 years old, she had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. The world is a poorer place for her passing. There will be no new words with her special stamp of vigour and imagination like rumbustification and horrakapotchkin. Words behaved differently under her guiding hand and I will miss this, but she also explored the psychology and philosophy of story in stunning essays like this one. I idolised her more than I realised. If I wanted to be like any writer, she was at the top of my list. If you need any convincing of her genius go read The Lion in the Meadow or The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate, Down the back of the Chair or Bubble Trouble. Check out The Changeover, The Other Side of Silence, The Tricksters or The Catalogue of the Universe. I only wish I'd started reading her books sooner, when I was younger and more impressionable and their vividness and daring could have inspired me more. She left us with an immense wealth of literature that will delight and inspire generations to come. She will also continue to inspire and motivate me for the rest of my days.