Simon Upton’s extended, but muted, cry of anguish (New Zealand Books, December 1994) marks a major intellectual maturing on the part of the New Zealand National Party’s only serious thinker. Had it been written in mid-Victorian Britain one would confidently…
I am sitting in an Auckland dealer gallery pondering some photographs of Michael Smither’s paintings, including one New Plymouth public garden scene called “Poet’s Bridge”, the title of which strikes an encouraging note – there can’t be too many such…
Cuttings David Lange, Jonathan Hudson and Associates, no price given Ex-Prime Ministers can be a nuisance. Edward Heath pricked at Margaret Thatcher who demeaned John Major. Sir Keith Holyoake connived at the supplanting of his successor by Sir Robert Muldoon…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
Now for Spinoza, Neville Bennett
Nobel Prize for literature Recently I met Oe Kenzaburo, the Japanese novelist who won this year’s Nobel Prize for literature. To the envy of a group of bystanders, Mr Oe spoke to me and autographed my “meishi” or business card.…
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