Blog Archives

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: , , , , ,
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: , , , , ,
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: , , , , , ,
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: , , , , ,
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: , , , ,
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…
Tagged with: , , ,
Posted in Poem

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: , , , ,
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…
Tagged with: , ,
Posted in Letters

The blinds drawn, Hamish Keith

Painted Histories: Early Maori figurative painting Roger Neich, Auckland University Press, $79.95 One April morning in 1920 the Maori King Te Rata, his kaumatua, a greeting party and 1000 or so Waikato, gathered on the platform at Ngaruawahia railway station…
Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Art, History, Māori, Non-fiction, Review

Poem — Jeanette Stace

Between   It is hard to tell its length, it appears to have no breadth. Between is a line of loops joining, between is a series of leaps separating, between is the arrow pointing. Between likes to give you little…
Tagged with: , , ,
Posted in Poem
Search the archive
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Architecture
Art
Autobiography
Awards
Biography
Byline
Children
Comment
Contents
ebooks
Economics
Editorial
Education
Essays
Extract
Fiction
Gender
Graphic novel
Health
History
Imprints
Language
Lecture
Letters
Letters
Literature
Māori
Media
Memoir
Music
Natural History
Non-fiction
Obituaries
Opinion
Pacific
Photography
Plays
Poem
Poetry
Politics & Law
Psychology
Religion
Review
Science
Short stories
Sociology
Sport
War
YA Reviewers
Young adults
Recent issues: subscriber-only access

    Subscribe to NZ Books to access the issues above

    Search by category