Tuesday, October 23, 2012
On small planes by Fiona
Kidman
It’s the same
again this weekend, wild weather,
I was
thrilled to bits to find copies of Fiona’s book of poetry – Where Your Left
Hand Rests (Godwit, Random House) – in several bookshops while I was in
Wellington. It is such a beautiful book. Kudos to the designer and the press.
This is the poem I found when I opened the book at random. At random, just like
the press. The book was published in celebration of Fiona’s 70th
birthday. It’s selling really well, in fact there has been a reprint. Wonderful
for poetry, wonderful for Fiona, and wonderful for us.
New Zealander Fiona Kidman is a leading
contemporary novelist, short story writer and poet. Much of her fiction is
focused on how outsiders navigate their way in narrowly conformist society. She
has published a large and exciting range of fiction and poetry, and has worked
as a librarian, producer and critic. Fiona has won numerous awards and been the
recipient of fellowships, grants and other significant honours, as well as being
a consistent advocate for New Zealand writers and literature. She is the
President of Honour for the New Zealand Book Council, has been awarded an OBE
and is a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to
literature. The French Government has made her a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts
et des Lettres and a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour.
'On small planes' is published with permission, when you've read it - try more Tuesday Poems out in our sidebar (to the left.)
This week's editor, Jennifer Compton, was born in Wellington, emigrated to Australia in the early 70s and lives now in Melbourne. She is an award-winning playwright and poet, with 'Barefoot' shortlisted for the John Bray Poetry Award in 2012 and 'This City' (Otago University Press 2011) the winner of the Kathleen Grattan Award in NZ. She has also been awarded a number of residencies including one at the Randell Cottage in Wellington, and blogs here.
rain and delays,
and a long way south, suspension
on a cloud,
books take you everywhere.
My epitaph may
be that she was a small woman
who spent her
days in small airports flying
on very small
aeroplanes to middle-sized towns.
Editor: Jennifer Compton
New Zealander Fiona Kidman is a leading
contemporary novelist, short story writer and poet. Much of her fiction is
focused on how outsiders navigate their way in narrowly conformist society. She
has published a large and exciting range of fiction and poetry, and has worked
as a librarian, producer and critic. Fiona has won numerous awards and been the
recipient of fellowships, grants and other significant honours, as well as being
a consistent advocate for New Zealand writers and literature. She is the
President of Honour for the New Zealand Book Council, has been awarded an OBE
and is a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to
literature. The French Government has made her a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts
et des Lettres and a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour. 'On small planes' is published with permission, when you've read it - try more Tuesday Poems out in our sidebar (to the left.)
This week's editor, Jennifer Compton, was born in Wellington, emigrated to Australia in the early 70s and lives now in Melbourne. She is an award-winning playwright and poet, with 'Barefoot' shortlisted for the John Bray Poetry Award in 2012 and 'This City' (Otago University Press 2011) the winner of the Kathleen Grattan Award in NZ. She has also been awarded a number of residencies including one at the Randell Cottage in Wellington, and blogs here.
No comments:
Post a Comment