John Pascoe Chris Maclean Craig Potton Publishing in association with The Whitcombe Press, $59.95, ISBN 0473094436 When I was a runty little joker, I often heard my father’s mother, Liz, describe people as “silly buggers”. John Pascoe would have…
The Judas Game: The Betrayal of New Zealand rugby Joseph Romanos Darius Press, $29.95, ISBN 0958240906 Meads Brian Turner Hodder Moa Beckett $49.95, ISBN 1869589173 A little anecdote buried in Joseph Romanos’ latest book The Judas Game: The Betrayal of…
Looking for the Phoenix – A Memoir W H Oliver Bridget Williams Books, $39.95, ISBN 1877242985 When W H (Bill) Oliver says that, by and large, New Zealand’s been a “good place” for him, one senses that at times he’s…
Somebodies and Nobodies Brian Turner Vintage, $34.95 ISBN 1869415078 Few autobiographies return us to scrutinising our own lives. I’ve just had – suffered – that experience reading Brian Turner’s Somebodies and Nobodies. It covers his first 25 years, from birth…
Taking Off Brian Turner Victoria University Press, $24.95, ISBN 0864734239 A poet in his prime falls almost silent for ten years. When his new collection at last appears, it opens with a sad song of music overheard, that also asks,…
On the Loose Josh Kronfeld with Brian Turner Longacre Press, $44.95, ISBN 1 877135 30 5 Josh Kronfeld, All Black openside flanker, has always impressed me as an “aw shucks” kind of bloke. There are smiling eyes, a silly grin,…
Bruno Roger Booth Canterbury University Press, $29.95, ISBN 0 908812 83 3 Years ago, whenever Bruno Lawrence (born in 1941 in Brighton, England, as David Charles Gilbert Lawrence) appeared or was mentioned, I used to think, “I’ll bet he’s a…
Far and near: some thoughts on the poetry of Bill Sewell, Brian Turner
Fair-minded people like to see others given their due. That has been my experience, although I’ve often wondered about just what percentage of such fair-mindeds there are, especially in literary circles. Most writers I know have a list of other…
Posted in Comment, Obituaries