WATSON, Jean 1933-

PERSONAL: Born 1933, in Whangarei, New Zealand; daughter of William Albert and Jane (Struthers) Watson; married Barry Crump (a writer).

ADDRESSES: Home—41 Maida Vale Rd., Roseneath, Wellington, New Zealand. E-mail—jean@actrix.gen. nz.

CAREER: Novelist.

WRITINGS:

Stand in the Rain, Pegasus (Christchurch, New Zealand), 1965, reprinted, Allen & Unwin/Port Nicholson Press (Wellington, New Zealand), 1986.

The Balloon Watchers, Dunmore Press (Palmerston North, New Zealand), 1975.

The World Is an Orange and the Sun, Dunmore Press (Palmerston North, New Zealand), 1978.

Flowers from Happyever, Voice Press (Wellington, New Zealand), 1980.

Address to a King, Allen & Unwin/Port Nicholson Press (Wellington, New Zealand), 1986.

Karunai Illam: The Story of an Orphanage, Daphne Brasell Associates Press (Wellington, New Zealand), 2001.

Three Sea Stories, Daphne Brasell Associates Press (Wellington, New Zealand), 1994.

SIDELIGHTS: New Zealand novelist and short story writer Jean Watson is best known for her novel Stand in the Rain, often referred to as a woman's 'on-the-road' novel. Drawing on Watson's marriage to writer Barry Crump, Stand in the Rain relates the story of Sarah, a budding writer, and her husband Abungus, a bushman, as they travel seeking work.

In more recent years Watson has become known for her non-fiction book, Karunai Illam: The Story of an Orphange. The story recounts the tale of how Watson and an Indian friend set up a home for the education of children from destitute families in South India. The orphanage continues to flourish and grow, so Watson devotes less time to writing but still works persistently on her craft. Three Sea Stories, is sort of a companion to Karunai Illam as it is a fictional account of the founding of the children's home.

Watson told CA: "My first fiction Stand in the Rain and my latest nonfiction Karunai Illam have much in common; they are both love stories, the first 'eros' and the last, 'agape.'"