Blog Archives
Pure Broadway, Roger Robinson
Nights in the Gardens of Spain Witi Ihimaera, Secker & Warburg, $34.95 On the way home years ago after seeing Waituhi (the Witi Ihimaera/ Ross Harris opera), I remember remarking that Witi could someday write the book for a great…
Tagged with: Autumn 1995, Issue 17, Roger Robinson, Secker & Warburg, Winter 1995, Witi Ihimaera
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review
Something rich and strange, David Groves
Stand Alone Stan, vol 2 of the quartet A Land Fit for Heroes Phillip Mann, Victor Gollancz, price not available This is Phillip Mann’s seventh book of fiction, an imaginative and philosophically coherent body of work, spanning over a decade.…
Tagged with: Autumn 1995, David Groves, Issue 17, Phillip Mann, Victor Gollancz, Winter 1995
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review
Returning to the wisdom of an early world, Harvey McQueen
Laura’s poems Laura Ranger, Godwit, $12.95 The childhood juvenilia of famous poets is usually interesting – the first uncertain steps, the incorporation of nursery rhyme, and yes, a naivety that is pleasing. But what if a child is already a…
Tagged with: Autumn 1995, Godwit, Harvey McQueen, Issue 17, Laura Ranger, Winter 1995
Posted in Literature, Poetry, Review
Posted in Literature, Poetry, Review
Making words explode, Philippa, Octavia and Laura Horgan
Laura’s Poems Laura Ranger, Godwit Publishing, $12.95 All three of us know Laura Ranger as a friend and we all agree on two things – she is a very nice person and a brilliant poet. She has endless ideas for…
Tagged with: Autumn 1995, Issue 17, Laura Horgan, Laura Ranger, Octavia Horgan, Philippa Horgan, Winter 1995
Posted in Literature, Poetry, Review
Posted in Literature, Poetry, Review
The art of complex simplicities, Jane Stafford
How We Met Jenny Bornholdt, Victoria University Press, $19.95 Simplicity in writing – as in life – is a very complicated matter, difficult to achieve and uncertain in its effect. Simplicity in poetry is usually achieved by sacrificing content and…
Tagged with: Autumn 1995, Issue 17, Jane Stafford, Jenny Bornholdt, Victoria University Press, Winter 1995
Posted in Literature, Poetry, Review
Posted in Literature, Poetry, Review
Pandora’s envelope: it’s all about power, Bill Oliver
Crown Proposals for the Settlement of Treaty of Waitangi Claims Hon Douglas Graham, Department of Justice Though the text of the Crown Proposals is a good deal less euphoric in tone than the hype which accompanied their release in December,…
Tagged with: Autumn 1995, Bill Oliver, Department of Justice, Hon Douglas Graham, Issue 17
Posted in History, Māori, Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review
Posted in History, Māori, Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review
Poem — Bill Manhire
Some screens Japanese Pavillion Los Angeles County Museum Palace scene in downtown LA Palace scene in a snowy landscape, spring cherry, autumn maple. We stand for a while and watch the snow: the bridge at Uji crossing from spring…
Dynamically adaptive, Sir Tipene O’Regan
Painted Histories: Early Maori figurative painting Roger Neich, Auckland University Press, $79.95 In the late 1960s I slept for the first time in the meeting house Te-Poho-o-Hinekura at Te Kuha near Lake Waikaremoana. I was astonished by the faded blue…
Tagged with: Auckland University Press, Autumn 1995, Issue 17, Roger Neich, Sir Tipene O'Regan
Posted in Art, History, Māori, Non-fiction, Review
Posted in Art, History, Māori, Non-fiction, Review
Letters – Issue 17
The value of experiment I did not respond to Jane Stafford’s review of Michele Leggott’s Dia and my The Switch in New Zealand Books when it was first printed because I think the writing should speak for itself and face…