Morrinsville author Vaughan Rapatahana
has a new novel out with the intriguing title of Novel.
Rapatahana’s new book moves from a
violent murder in a Kiwi meatworks to the Philippines, Hong Kong and People’s
Republic of China. It mirrors in many ways the prolific writer's contribution
to publications in countries worldwide, from the UK to France to Asia and the
US.
His career has involved contributing
to dozens of literary journals in various languages and publishing academic
text and fiction, and now Rapatahana is entering retirement and looking to
write the follow-up to Novel.
Vaughan said money and time are
restrictions, which is why family are helpful. “My daughter Pauline Canlas Wu –
a tattoo artist in Hong Kong - illustrated Novel, while my wife Leticia
Canlas helped out on the book too.”
It was 1977-79 when the then-24 year
old taught in Kerikeri then later returned to live at Pakaraka and then Awarua,
after working in the tiny republic of Nauru.
During his Northland years, Vaughan
says literature was at a low ebb. “If there was stuff going on, I wasn’t much
aware of it. I was starting to write myself. I got a couple of stories
published in the PPTA Journal.”
“I remember going to see Sam Hunt and
Gary McCormick up north about 1981. Sam Hunt definitely was an inspiration. We
have since sporadically kept in touch, eh.”
Talk of the popular poet gets Vaughan
namedropping contemporaries who have made a mark in NZ literature – fair enough
considering Vaughan has been inside schools, universities and workplaces with
David Eggleton, Roger Horrocks and James Norcliffe, and now sees a lot of
fellow Waikato poet, Bob Orr.
With the rate of creative writing that
Vaughan publishes, one would think he has been going forever, but Vaughan feels
it was only ten years ago that he came into his own as a writer. Vaughan says
his books have “probably not” made a lot of money. “But I’m not in it for the
money, mate.” He chose Rangitawa Publishing for Novel because he says it
ties in which the marginalised perspective from which he writes.
Amongst other achievements, Vaughan
has won the Proverse Poetry Prize, his poetry collection Atonement was
nominated for a National Book Award in Philippines, and his writing has been
published in French, Tagalog and te reo Māori. His poem Rangiaowhia has been
shortlisted for the NZSA Canterbury Heritage Book and Writing Awards 2018.
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Order from www.RangitawaPublishing.com
or https://amzn.to/2Ex8KLt
RRP $38.
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