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Strands
This second collection of poems by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Bone People is made up of three parts. The first poem, "Fishing the Olearia Tree," is a rich and moving exploration of natural processes. "Against Small Evil Voices" is a collection of chants, stories, and memories full
of Maori elements and focused primarily on the strength of the family and the courage of women. Finally, "Winesongs" is a selection of more casual lyrics, attractive in expression and effortless in execution. Hulme's verse is loose, sometimes including passages of prose, but is shaped by a powerful
romantic drive and a sophisticated attention to the behavior of language.
of Maori elements and focused primarily on the strength of the family and the courage of women. Finally, "Winesongs" is a selection of more casual lyrics, attractive in expression and effortless in execution. Hulme's verse is loose, sometimes including passages of prose, but is shaped by a powerful
romantic drive and a sophisticated attention to the behavior of language.
72 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2003
204 people want to read
About the author
Keri Hulme
17 books305 followersHulme, Keri (1947–2021), novelist, short story writer and poet, gained international recognition with her award-winning The Bone People. Within New Zealand she has held writing fellowships at several universities, served on the Literary Fund Advisory Committee (1985–89) and the Indecent Publications Tribunal (1985–90), and in 1986–88 was appointed ‘cultural ambassador’ while travelling in connection with The Bone People.
Born and raised in Otautahi, Christchurch, Hulme is the eldest of six children. Her father, a carpenter and first-generation New Zealander whose parents came from Lancashire, died when Hulme was 11. Her mother came from Oamaru, of Orkney Scots and Maori descent (Käi Tahu, Käti Mämoe). Hulme was schooled at North New Brighton Primary School and Aranui HS (Christchurch). Her holidays were spent with her mother’s extended family at Moeraki, on the Otago East Coast, a landscape filled with the residue of its Maori past, which remains important for linking Hulme with her Maori ancestors: ‘I love it better than any place on Earth. It is my turangawaewae-ngakau, the standing-place of my heart.’
The Bone People (Spiral Collective, 1984) won the 1984 New Zealand Book Award for Fiction, and the prestigious international Booker Prize in 1985. 'Set on the harsh South Island beaches of New Zealand, bound in Maori myth and entwined with Christian symbols, Miss Hulme's provocative novel summons power with words, as a conjuror's spell. She casts her magic on three fiercely unique characters, but reminds us that we, like them, are 'nothing more than people', and that, in a sense, we are all cannibals, compelled to consume the gift of love with demands for perfection' (New York Times Book Review).
Source: Read NZ https://www.read-nz.org/writer/hulme-....
Born and raised in Otautahi, Christchurch, Hulme is the eldest of six children. Her father, a carpenter and first-generation New Zealander whose parents came from Lancashire, died when Hulme was 11. Her mother came from Oamaru, of Orkney Scots and Maori descent (Käi Tahu, Käti Mämoe). Hulme was schooled at North New Brighton Primary School and Aranui HS (Christchurch). Her holidays were spent with her mother’s extended family at Moeraki, on the Otago East Coast, a landscape filled with the residue of its Maori past, which remains important for linking Hulme with her Maori ancestors: ‘I love it better than any place on Earth. It is my turangawaewae-ngakau, the standing-place of my heart.’
The Bone People (Spiral Collective, 1984) won the 1984 New Zealand Book Award for Fiction, and the prestigious international Booker Prize in 1985. 'Set on the harsh South Island beaches of New Zealand, bound in Maori myth and entwined with Christian symbols, Miss Hulme's provocative novel summons power with words, as a conjuror's spell. She casts her magic on three fiercely unique characters, but reminds us that we, like them, are 'nothing more than people', and that, in a sense, we are all cannibals, compelled to consume the gift of love with demands for perfection' (New York Times Book Review).
Source: Read NZ https://www.read-nz.org/writer/hulme-....
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 23, 2017
Words mean
precisely what you want to hear them say
exactly
what you see in them
A wonderful collections of poems by one of my favorite authors from Aotearoa. I picked this up and read it twice through in one sitting, that is how powerful the poems within this collection are. An absolute must-read for those interested in Maori poetry, poetry from Aotearoa, poetry by women, or just poetry in general.
precisely what you want to hear them say
exactly
what you see in them
A wonderful collections of poems by one of my favorite authors from Aotearoa. I picked this up and read it twice through in one sitting, that is how powerful the poems within this collection are. An absolute must-read for those interested in Maori poetry, poetry from Aotearoa, poetry by women, or just poetry in general.
June 6, 2007
I love Hulme's The Bone People so much that I really, really wanted to love her poetry as much. And there are certainly good bits in this book, but very little that just grabs me and shakes me the way her prose has. Not worth tracking it down out of print, but if you happen on a copy, it's worth picking up.
June 17, 2022
The language! How she makes it dance is a special magic all hers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews