This book celebrates the maturity that places writing at the centre rather than the outskirts of national life and marks the coming of age of New Zealand literature. But it also examines and questions the contentious issues about the state of our writing: the power of the creative writing programme, the globalising influence of the publishing industry and international styles, the directions of Maori writing, the place of nationalism in creative activity, the importance of state funding. It marks the broadening of the literary scene with examinations of children’s writing and comics.
Lively, various, contentious, considered – the essays in this book will deepen and extend the debates about our literary culture, provide considered information for teachers, students and writers, and enrich the production of that literature.
Contributors: James Brown, Elizabeth Caffin, Tim Corballis , Kate De Goldi, Patrick Evans, Briar Grace-Smith, Stuart Hoar, Dylan Horrocks, John Huria, Anna Jackson, Andrew Johnston, Elizabeth Knox, Margaret Mahy, Owen Marshall, Masami Nakao, Gregory O’Brien, Chris Prentice, Chris Price, Iain Sharp, Peter Simpson, Anna Smith, Lydia Wevers, Damien Wilkins, Mark Williams
