Barbara’s twin sister, Coralie, died days after birth – an event she wrote about in her essay Travelling Solo On A Bicycle Built For Two – and her father died before she was four.
In her early 20s, a degenerative condition resulted in Barbara being pronounced legally blind.
Barbara Blackman described her blindness as her “gift”. Credit: Rohan Thomson
In a 2016 interview, Barbara reflected on her literary legacy and described her blindness as her “gift” and a “different kind of seeing”.
“I began to look more closely, not at things, but at a world closer to myself, looking from an inner space to one further within … Immediately the substance of the universe drew together, redefined, peopled itself anew,” she said.
“I felt indescribable relief and happiness so great it almost made me laugh … I saw light and went on seeing it although I was blind.”
Christabel said her mother’s resilience and honest approach towards life’s obstacles was inspiring for anyone who met her.
“We all have moments of ‘Oh, poor me’, but Barbara was such an advocate for stepping back and looking at the bigger picture,” she said. “She lived in the poetry of life.”
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