Blog Archives

A less than perky light, Stevan Eldred-Grigg

Gith Chris Else Random House, $27.99, ISBN 9781869790134 Show of Hands Anthony McCarten Random House, $29.99, ISBN 9781869419950 Swimmer’s Rope  Stephanie Johnson Random House, $29.99, ISBN 9781869790257 At the first look there’s not much to tie these three novels together.

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Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

Best of both worlds, Chris Else

The Six Pack Two  New Zealand Book Month with Whitireia Publishing, $6.00, ISBN  9781877192326 For Everyone Concerned  Damien Wilkins  Victoria University Press, $30.00,  ISBN 9780864735591 Coming Up Roses  Sarah Laing  Vintage, $27.99, ISBN 9781869419202  Luminous  Alice Tawhai  Huia Press, $35.00,

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Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, Short stories

Worlds away, Elspeth Sandys

Shadow Waters Chris Baker Huia, $27.00, ISBN 1869692357 Black Earth White Bones Chris Else Random House, $27.99, ISBN 9781869418625 Overdue New Releases  Matt Johnson Longacre Press, $29.99, ISBN 1877361429  Holocaust Tours  Julian Novitz Vintage, $27.99, ISBN 9781869417284  Apart from the

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Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

Rules of the game, Chris Else

Great Sporting Moments  ed Damien Wilkins Victoria University Press, $29.95, ISBN 0864735154 Great Sporting Moments tempted me to do the unthinkable – review a book without actually reading it. This was not because I thought the contents would be bad

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Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review, Short stories

The quality question, Chris Else

New Zealand Society of Authors president Chris Else examines  the options for funding a home-grown literature. In offering his radical rethink of Creative New Zealand’s policy for funding literature (NZB, December 2005), Tim Hazledine suggests the only reasonable justification for

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Screen play, Martin Edmond

On River Road Chris Else Random, $26.95, ISBN 1869416236 Tarzan Presley Nigel Cox Victoria University Press, $29.95, ISBN 0864734808 Stench Mike Johnson Hazard Press, $24.95, ISBN 1877270687 Three books, all works of fiction, all by men who will not see

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Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

For God, King and country, Chris Else

Tu  Patricia Grace Penguin, $35, ISBN 0143019201 Certain battles mark themselves on the popular imagination. The most evocative are often not great victories but failed assaults, especially those with a touch of futility about them: the Charge of the Light

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Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

The wit, the cook and the poet, Chris Else

On Writing Hit Songs Simon Morris Four Winds Press, $14.95, ISBN 0958237573 Biography of a Local Palate David Burton Four Winds Press, $14.95, ISBN 0958237581 Under the Influence Bill Manhire Four Winds Press, $14.95, ISBN 0958237565 Reviewing three books at

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Posted in Essays, Non-fiction, Review

Who are we writing for? Chris Else

Chris Else examines the literary contradictions between local content and global success   I work in the creative writing industry. I teach courses, write assessments and act as a literary mentor. I believe in what I do. My advice has

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Posted in Opinion
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