THE NZ LISTENER IS MY BOOK MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
The NZ Listener provides far and away the most accessible and consistently good book reviews of any mainstream magazine in New Zealand and in the issue of December 13 they have done the booklovers especially proud with 20 pages featuring the cover story - 100 Best Books of 2008.
The Bookman doffs his cap to Arts & Books Editor Guy Somerset, for this major piece in particular, but also for his book coverage throughout 2008, for the quality of the reviews, and for his decision not to axe poetry from The Listener’s pages as had been feared was going to happen.
Somerset’s approach to the 100 Best Books piece is interesting and contrasts with the Weekend Herald and the Sunday Star-Times approach in that while he has used his team of impressive reviewers to select the 100 titles and write about them, it has been done anonymously apart from 14 NZ authors whose names and photos are attached to their selections – from established writers Owen Marshall, Fiona Kidman, Damien Wilkins and others, to comparative newcomers like Mary McCallum, Eleanor Catton, David Bleach and others.
Don’t miss this issue of The Listener, it is a cracker!
The NZ Listener provides far and away the most accessible and consistently good book reviews of any mainstream magazine in New Zealand and in the issue of December 13 they have done the booklovers especially proud with 20 pages featuring the cover story - 100 Best Books of 2008.
The Bookman doffs his cap to Arts & Books Editor Guy Somerset, for this major piece in particular, but also for his book coverage throughout 2008, for the quality of the reviews, and for his decision not to axe poetry from The Listener’s pages as had been feared was going to happen.
Somerset’s approach to the 100 Best Books piece is interesting and contrasts with the Weekend Herald and the Sunday Star-Times approach in that while he has used his team of impressive reviewers to select the 100 titles and write about them, it has been done anonymously apart from 14 NZ authors whose names and photos are attached to their selections – from established writers Owen Marshall, Fiona Kidman, Damien Wilkins and others, to comparative newcomers like Mary McCallum, Eleanor Catton, David Bleach and others.
Don’t miss this issue of The Listener, it is a cracker!
9 comments:
Yes, lots and lots of reviews. It may seem ungrateful, but - in the light of Guy Somerset's "decision not to axe poetry from The Listener’s pages" - did you see a poem this week? Did you see a poem last week? It seems that the Listener is now publishing poems when space permits - of course, space will always be permitted for the likes of Bradford's Hollywood.
I think, to be fair, publication of a poem usually occurs monthly.
Not so, Bookman (though you are always fair). The Listener has a very long tradition of publishing a poem each week. Over the last six months or so, there has been a marked falling off.
Poetry aside, I think The Bookman is right on the money. The Listener does a damn fine job of book reviewing,and apart from their curious habit of occasionally seeming to give titles to reviewers who are likely to have some animosity towards that title/author, their reviews are usually well thought out and interesting. And of course the best reviewer of all is in their stable - David Eggleton!
So yes, I'm with The Bookman,the Listener is number 1, my thanks and Merry Christmas to Guy Somerset who seems to have had something of a baptism of fire!
On the whole The Listener carries the best reviews of books, and the best interviews with authors. My favourite reviwer/writer is the NZ author Paula Morris and I hope they will run more from her in
2009.
Poetry, well it is a pretty minor interest to most. I think a monthly poem is probably about right. On the other hand there are not many places that a NZ poet can get a one-off poem published.
And of course one should remember that the Listener is owned by a commercial newspaper publishing group and has to make a return for shareholders so I guess they may not be all that interested in poetry? All in all I think they are doing a damn fine job. Keep up the good work.
I went to a wedding in the weekend, and the most sustained speech on the occasion was the reading of a poem. Poetry seems to come up frequently at funerals, too, and after 11 September, 2001, Auden's '1 September 1939' was dusted off and emailed to many thousands. So yes, poetry is a minority interest, except at times that matter - and at these times poetry, and only poetry, has the words to express what is necessary.
Tim Upperton
I agree. There are times when nothing but poetry will do. I have a quite large collection of volumes of poetry, among them some of the so-called war poets from WW1and if I ever need reminding of the need for avoiding war I take down these books and read......
I would be interested to learn details of the poem read at the wedding you attended as I have a duty at a wedding next year and am looking for an appropriate poem.
Bookman, it was Kipling's "If" - a bluff, stirring and to me mystifying choice! Me, I'd go for Edwin Morgan's "Strawberries"...
Tim Upperton
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