Promised land
The final journals of a literary doyen reveal the thoughts of a creative and observant intellectual.
Throughout his life, Charles Brasch suffered from a profound selfdoubt but there can be absolutely no question of his pivotal role in the evolution of New Zealand’s cultural and literary landscape. As the founding editor of Landfall, a poet and author in his own right and mentor to many New Zealand writers, artists and musicians, Brasch’s voice continues to resonate in the third and final volume of his journals (Otago University Press,
$59.95.) Spanning the years from 1958 to his death, aged 64, in 1973, the journal loses none of the impact of the first two volumes. Brasch’s melancholic voice emerges clearly as he writes about his family, friends and colleagues with candour and constant understanding. He observed the world around him warily but was always open to its human and natural beauty. Peter Simpson’s sensitive selection and introduction remain discreet but illuminative. It’s a beautifully produced book carrying a solid intellectual weight between its covers. a lot of territory to cover in an eclectic life that has spanned diplomacy, 11 years as CEO of the New Zealand tourism department, and an active role in literature and the arts. Plimmer is a man of many parts, a fact reflected in his wide-ranging memoirs. His childhood was spent in Palmerston North in the 1950s, a place and a time he remembers with considerable affection. Victoria University led to the Department of External Affairs and the wider world beyond. Plimmer takes readers though New Zealand’s broadening international role in the 1960s and 70s, providing insights into the personalities and events during tumultuous times. Expect no explosive revelations – former career diplomats elegantly avoid controversy. Plimmer’s later work with the Book Council and Arts Foundation adds new facets to a brightly voiced voyage through an absorbing life.
There are some books that clearly emerge from very personal passions. As literary labours of love, they reflect the author’s fascination with, and endless research into, a particular subject. Noel Crawford’s history of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company is one such book, Every page of this formidably solid history is bursting with statistics, information and details extracted from more than a century of papers, files and archives. Crawford’s knowledge of the company’s New Zealand land acquisitions and its role in the country’s agriculture is formidable. Founded by a canny Scottish merchant, James Morton, in the late 1860s, the company invested in large areas of farmland in the South Island and became the first company to export frozen meat and dairy products. Anyone interested in world commerce in the 19th and early 20th centuries will discover a hefty treasure trove of personalities and information in Crawford’s book.