When it comes to children's writing in New Zealand, Margaret Mahy has made an incredible contribution over her lifetime. She was a children's librarian in Christchurch until 1980 when she resigned to write fulltime. Her work has been translated into 15 different languages and has won many awards. The Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award began in … Continue reading Margaret Mahy – New Zealand Children’s writer extraordinaire
Sam Hunt was a performance poet before any New Zealander knew there was such a thing as a performance poet. I remember, as a student, being asked to meet Sam Hunt in our school carpark and guide him to our auditorium where he was to address our year group. Even his arrival was performance poetry … Continue reading New Zealand Poet – Sam Hunt
I have this poem on the noticeboard above my desk at work. I work in a school library and that last line is magic to me. Here is the complete work- thanks for Victory University. Glenn Colquhoun is someone who lives life to the full. He is a practising Doctor, working for a youth health … Continue reading NZ poet Glenn Colquhoun
Moving on from poetry for Valentine's Day one poet absent from the list compiled by Paula Green was Hone Tuwhare. Perhaps his poetry lacked romanticism but Tuwhare is recognised as New Zealand’s most distinguished Māori poet writing in English. Tuwhare was a working man turned poet. He was trained as a boilermaker and worked with … Continue reading NZ poet Hone Tuwhare
When it comes to romance poetry is the language of love right? Apparently, our poets have a very dark approach to the subject of love according to journalist Bronwyn Sell who had been asked to find a New Zealand poem to read at a friend's wedding. If you have time please read her entire article. The … Continue reading Romantic kiwis – happy valentine’s day
Lloyd Jones' book Mr Pip was shortlisted for the Man Booker Awards in 2007. The novel is set on the island of Bougainville during a civil war in a village where many people had left in fear of what may happen to them at the hands of the brutal fighters. It is a story of … Continue reading Mr Pip ~ the power of a book
"The play's the thing..." to half quote Shakespeare and it would be remiss of me not to include drama in a month-long look at literature from New Zealand. The difficulty is that while novels, short stories and poetry are able to be enjoyed for a long time after they have been published - a play … Continue reading New Zealand Playwrights
Taika Waititi, a New Zealand filmmaker for "Adapted screenplay". You have to love someone who, during his Oscar acceptance speech, thanks his mother for giving him the book, "Caging Skies" by Christine Leunens which led to him writing the screenplay for the movie " Jojo Rabbit". Described as a Belgian - New Zealand writer, Christine … Continue reading And the OSCAR goes to…
Keri Hulme's book The Bone People won the Booker Prize in 1985. I loved this book for so many reasons. It combined poetry and prose which invited the reader to enter the story with their hearts and their minds. The three characters the story revolved around were broken and authentic. Not everyone was a fan … Continue reading NZ on the world stage -Booker award 1985
The 2013 Man Booker Award winner was New Zealander Eleanor Catton's novel the Luminaries. She was born (in Canada) in the year that the only other New Zealander to win that accolade, Keri Hulme did so, 1985. Catton is the youngest ever to win the award. The Luminaries is a historical fiction set during the … Continue reading NZ on the world stage – Man Booker award 2013
