TWO NEW SOUTHERN TITLES FROM OTAGO UNIVERSITY PRESS

NURSE TO THE IMAGINATION
50 Years of the Robert Burns Fellowship
Edited by Lawrence Jones - $45

The Burns Fellowship is New Zealand’s oldest literary fellowship and arguably our most prestigious literary residency. Last month the Fellowship celebrated 50 years and in this fine publication each of the Burns Fellows careers are recorded.

Roger Hall, the Burns Fellow way back in 1977-78, reviewed the book on my blog several weeks ago but I have just got a copy myself and have found it so fascinating that I had to mention it again. Editor Lawrence Jones describes it as a literary wine-tasting and I reckon he is spot on.
And what a great reference book for all students of NZ’s literary history. Every secondary school, university and public library in the land should have multiple copies.

KIWITOWN’S PORT
The Story of Oamaru Harbour
Gavin McLean - $40

McLean is New Zealand’s leading maritime historian and as usual he has presented us with a highly readable, entertaining, thorough and profusely illustrated history although one does wonder how widely outside of Oamaru there would be a lot of interest in this subject.
The southern town is McLean’s home port and I am sure he would have had a lot of fun carrying out his research.
The port was hugely important to the town in previous times but today it is an historic area, (this has been the subject of much heated debate locally), with the author hoping that the “harbour may be entering a new era after three decades in limbo, completing the transition from the smokestack industrial economy to the servicing economy, from shipping to shopping”.