New Zealand Books

`What a funny place this is!' says one of the Bloomsbury Group's hangers-on to Katherine Mansfield (nee Kathleen Beauchamp, and one of the foremost modernist writers of her time). `Such brilliant people saying such silly things.''

This comment just about sums up - not this superbly punctilious portrayal of Katherine Mansfield's creative years by fellow New Zealander and Mansfield scholar C K Stead - but the quite laughable overweening inconsequentiality of a group of writers who, like the Algonquin Round Table in a different time and place, were so utterly convinced that the sun shone out of their art.

Various members of the group are sighted here together with assorted camp-followers: Virginia Woolf, D H Lawrence, Lady Ottline Morell on whom he based the man-eating Lady Chatterley, Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Russell, J M Keynes - and that other `bugger' (as the aforementioned hanger-on so describes him) the insufferably bitchy Lytton Strachey . . . every one of them housepartying for England while the world goes to hell in a handcart.

`Last night . . .' trills the same silly also-ran, `. . . we(took) a vote on whether the moon was a virgin or a harlot.'

Ah! time for Miss Mansfield to prove her mettle, I thought: because I really rate a lot of her stuff. How's she going to handle this latest bit of silliness.

Oh, dear! I was to be quickly disappointed. `How did it come out?' says she.

Plus points: there are some wonderful set pieces here - D H Lawrence and his wife Frieda having a domestic spat in the course of which they reveal themselves to be just as vain and childishly pathetic as lesser mortals having a domestic spat; and an achingly graphic depiction of the violent death in action during WWI of Katherine's beloved brother Leslie, and of Fred Goodyear being mortally wounded.

Kathleen Mansfield can write like an angel when the fancy takes her, and when a quite different fancy takes her, acts like a tramp. Consequently her lover of long-standing, John Middleton Murry, leads a veritable dog's life.

Leslie Beauchamp and Fred Goodyear apart, the men of her acquaintance are all principled pacifists, the principle in question being they are quite doggedly determined to dodge the draft. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of her women friends are ninnies in need of assistance to boil an egg or run a hot bath. In fairness, though, it must be allowed that Katherine Mansfield isn't one of these, though she does appear to have developed a brand of existentialism for her own personal use: `I can,' you can almost hear her thinking, `therefore I will.'

And may the devil take the hindmost, which means, of course, poor, long-suffering, affable, almost totally ineffectual John Middleton Murry, who is unlucky enough to be Katherine Mansfield's artistic and intellectual inferior - and saddled with her.

The premise of this book is fantastic: it aims to be an introduction to New Zealand culture geared toward the educated but non-specialist American. By explaining dominant trends in NZ literature, describing some of this literature's historical context, and relating it to American culture, William Schafer outlines some answers to the questions of what it means to live in New Zealand, and how that nation has structured its unique identity. On a more basic level, this book gives its readers a sense of what NZ lit and film is available, and thus provides a spring board for an independent exploration of NZ culture. Schafer's quotes and discussion of the fiction of Witi Imihaera (author of the novel The Whale Rider, upon which the 2003 film is based), for instance, were particularly attractive to me and, as a result, I have since read several of his works. Mapping the Godzone opened a new world to me, and I look forward to continuing to explore NZ culture under its guidance.
While the book's aims are laudable, its execution is not quite as impressive. Schafer tries to avoid the jargon and heavily theoretical analysis of contemporary literary criticism, but at times he slips up and his prose drags. At other times, he is somewhat too summary in his discussions--particularly when he relies on series of lengthy quotes by other critics. The quotes from literary sources should be well appreciated, since they provide a window into the style of many authors; the quotes from scholars simply seem to point to laziness on the part of the author. Could he not sum up the material himself? Besides these (not too grave) issues of style, the content of the book could have been improved. Clearly Schafer (an English professor) was mostly interested in the literary achievements of New Zealand. However, he does intend his book to be a primer on culture as well, and to achieve this end he would have done well to include more of popular and visual culture in hi
s book. He does write a short section on film, but it consists mostly of a list of movies that the reader might find interesting.
Despite its flaws and shortcomings, Mapping the Godzone is a unique resource for the American reader curious about New Zealand, and it seems to be an excellent overview of that country's literature. I am glad to have found it.

This fascinating book, part historical, part current, will give you an insight into Maori culture and it's importance to New Zealand, while sweeping you along with it's captivating story.
However, if you're badly arachnophobic you may want to skip some bits!
Witi Ihimaera is one of New Zealand's greatest living writers. His ability to show the ideas and feelings underpinning Maori culture are priceless.

Gavin Bishop, pre-eminent New Zealand illustrator, gives a strong portrayal of Maui, the trickster archetype in a legendary battle to order the universe. A story from the well-spring of Maori myth this is a book to treasure within a family library and as part of a comprehension collection of heroic tales in public libraries. Tama Nui te Ra, the sun, is personified in the tale and the illustrative style is an inspiration to teachers and students of the language arts.

A thoroughly entertaining biography of Bruce McLaren, who comes through as an all round nice bloke. Such a pity he was taken from us so early in his life.

By today most British Commonwealth leaders in 1941 have had their history rewritten to fit into a more political desirable form. As such we are given very little about the conflicts and doubts that must have gone though their minds at this time when it looked like Hitler had won.

Two great leaders Churchill and Menzies in the British conflict appear to have come into conflict over the conduct of the war. To Churchill, WW2 became a crusade that he was willing to give all, in an attempt to defeat Hitler. To Menzies the British empire was both incompetently being led by Churchill which as the book shows is probably correct in the gross failure of the British handling of the war in Greece and getting involved in a conflict that it could not win. He felt that the British Commonwealth should make terms with Hitler.

In an attempt to replace Churchill, Menzies lost his position as prime minister of Australia.

Mixed in with their respective egos and ambitions it makes fascinating reading.

The book, "Living Abroad in New Zealand" is especially important to me, and I gladly give it a raving review, not just because some of my pictures are featured in the book, or because I lived for two wonderful years in New Zealand, but because Michelle gives so much detail and information about living, working, and enjoying the country, that I really wished I would have read this book three years ago before I made the trip. It was quite fun for me to be reading a travel and information guide after already having lived and worked in New Zealand for two years.

I enjoyed reading a number of interesting facts about the country that I did not already know, and the technical process of obtaining visas, permits, and residency is very important for people planning to make the move to such a beautiful country. This book is packed with relevant information and gives background on subjects that most travel guides do not cover, making it the ideal companion piece to any New Zealand travle guide.

I both want to thank the author, Graham Langton, and yell at him. By revising and republishing this wonderful work (originally by John Pascoe) about one of New Zealand's most prolific explorers, he has done us a huge favour. Douglas's work is full of wonderful detail that even the least adventurous tramper these days can still experience. However this book has been published with just one totally inadequate map. It doesn't even quite extend to the limits of Douglas's exploration so to read this book you can really do with a good map beside you.

I would recommend reading this book to those who are planning to visit New Zealand and do some south island tramping. What Douglas experienced in the 1860's to turn of the century is very much what you can see in South Westland today. The remoteness of the region has changed very little - well inland and through the alps anyway. Reading Douglas's accounts, his routes, seeing his pictures and so on are great historical detail and background to trips now. His journeys were from Lake McKerrow in the South up to Otira (at the base of Arthurs Pass) in the North.

There is a photo section in here which includes some of his original sketches which have been reproduced in colour. There is substantial trip detail which has allowed both authors (Pascoe and Langton) to retrace his steps, and would allow others to do so also. I do think short maps at the start of each of the chapters would have been a handy reference. There is certainly a huge amount of detial in the appendices at the back which are on Douglas resources available if anyone wants to do anything more.

Douglas did a huge amount of exploration in New Zealand, in hazardous, uncomfortable and arduous circumstances. His writings on the ecology, flora and fauna are unmatched by others at the time and his writings will fascinate modern readers.

This would have been a 5 star read for me but for the frustration of lack of maps which, given the nature of the subject, I thought would be essential.

In this era of google image searching, might it be possible to read a book about visually striking architecture, without photographs? I read Antipodean Structures with the assumption that it could be done, and my assumption was confirmed. In any case, this book goes well beneath the shiny exteriors of buildings like the National Museum of Australia, Federation Square, even The Sydney Opera House. These and five other buildings are examined in terms of societal aspirations in the millennial period, and I'm not sure that could have been done so convincingly in a book that pandered to the market's appetite for archi-sexual imagery.

All of the essays are good, but I will make special mention of Davina Jackson's engaging commentary on Federation Square (it presents as a relatively catchy read in an otherwise dense volume), and Philip Goad's very detailed discussion of the National Gallery of Victoria (this too is an enjoyable read, and a thorough piece of history writing). But I most enjoyed Ostwald's and Fleming's Introduction and Conclusion. These gave me the clearest sense yet of the cultural and geographical factors behind the phantasmagorical architecture of this region. The authors don't say it quite so bluntly as I'm about to, but: ideas received from the Northern hemisphere, breeding within isolated colonies of architects are amplified in this region, leading to buildings as strange as the region's wildlife.

A scholarly and probing analysis of a subject too often broached via imagery. Four Stars. I'll save the fifth star for the reprint, if it includes black and white images.

I wasn't sure what to expect of this book but can honestly say that it has been a very enjoyable read. The question of "who were the first europeans to visit NZ" has been the subject of many myths, legends and much speculation. But finally we have an in-depth look at finding an answer. Of course, you have to make up your own mind after considering all of the evidence as to whether or not Capt. Cook was the first pakeha to set foot on NZ soil. But I found the argument that he wasn't too strong to ignore (then again, i was already leaning that way before i picked the book up).
This is a very easy read, and quite clear, although in places i found it helped to have at least a small understanding of the Maori language.... just to understand pronunciations (in a phoenetic sense), significance of place names and the odd word here and there.... however, most of it is explained in great detail.
My final verdict: well worth a read! Especially if you're interested in NZ history.