Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature by Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature

Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature Collection

Latest additions reviewed by the office of the City of Literature

Beachcombing. Ceridwen Fraser
This comprehensive guide to seashores of the Southern Hemisphere is a treasure trove of information about the interesting and curious finds we may come across when walking along any coastal environment. Ceridwen (Crid) Fraser is an associate professor in the Marine Studies Department at the University of Otago. Shells, seaweeds, kelp, creatures, birds, there is something for everyone in this wonderful book.

A great companion to have at the ready for sea-shore adventures. There are so many great photographs showing familiar and unfamiliar salvages, and the information around each is interesting and fun. This book would make a perfect resource for ‘Rocky Shore’ explorations for primary schools, or family foraging expeditions.

Understanding the objects and organisms you find on beaches, and the background behind how they come to be there, is at the heart of this thoroughly researched book. Also highlighted are some of the man- made perils marine ecosystems face. The book emphasises the steps we can take to ensure our beautiful southern beaches glow with good health when the oceans they represent are clean and bursting with life. This valuable resource is sure to be popular with many readers. Highly recommended.

Meeting RitaJenny Powell
In the preface the author states “You don’t need to know the art of Rita Angus before you read these poems, where Rita has shifted in time to become my friend”. This imaginary happening is the theme of this wonderful book of poetry that is warm, engaging, relatable and poignant! The opening poem and the book’s title MEETING RITA says

“Hanging around in the gallery
for a ticket-only discussion
of fashion, we were singles
leaning on opposite walls.” 

and so begins many encounters between the poet and her ‘friend’. Every poem is such a pleasure to read and many conjure vivid pictures of Rita Angus’ best loved paintings. The idea of sharing thoughts and ideas with someone you feel certain you would have bonded with, is a lovely premise and this dream scenario is tastefully and beautifully executed.

The back of the book contains NOTES that chronicle significant periods of time for Rita Angus and provides clarity and context for Jenny Powell’s responses to them. Highly recommended.

Brutal: The 100 year fight for World Rugby Supremacy. Ron Palenski
[This book is on order and will appear in our catalogue as soon as we receive it]
‘From the first time the two countries met on a rugby field, unofficially during the First World War and officially in New Zealand in 1921, one of sport’s most intense rivalries was born. The fact the first two series between the Springboks and All Blacks were drawn was testimony to that, so too the fact that at the end of the amateur era in the mid-1990s, the two countries were almost even in win-loss-draw ratios.’ So begins the detailed insights into how passionate this rivalry was for players and fans alike and the book chronicles the emergence of the professional game.

Fascinating is the part rugby played in the movement that saw the end of apartheid in South Africa. At the time the country was deeply divided about the place sport should hold in politics, but now decades later we remember those times with a sense of pride.

Ron Palenski always produces wonderfully informative books that are hard to put down. Thoroughly researched with lots of anecdotes and personal insights from players past and present, this long rivalry our two countries have had on the rugby field is an important part of our sporting history. ‘A hundred years of unequalled combat.’ Enjoy!