The Collected Poems of Alistair Te Ariki Campbell

by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell

The Collected Poems of Alistair Te Ariki Campbell is the definitive edition of one of the most important bodies of work in New Zealand poetry. Based on a spiral-bound manuscript entitled ‘Complete Poems 1947–2007’ found among Campbell’s papers after his death, this is his most substantial collection to date and the first to be published in hardback since 1981.

Six thematic sections map the work:
1. Of Wild Places — celebrated early lyrics set among rugged South Island and Kapiti Coast landscapes;
2. Tongareva to Aotearoa — Campbell’s ground-breaking turn to his Polynesian side;
3. Love Poems;
4. War Poems — powerful sequences exploring his father’s Gallipoli experiences and the story of the Maori Battalion;
5. Poets in Our Youth — autobiographical poems in letter form; and
6. Looking at Kapiti — poems of everyday life in Pukerua Bay.

‘The Polynesian and the European strains in Campbell’s personality and work are inseparable. Although his early poetry makes little mention of Polynesia, in its romantic and musical tone and its intense attachment to landscape it is hard not to detect something of those origins, while his later work, more directly Polynesian, nonetheless has the form and tone provided by an education in English and classical poetry.’

Genres: Poetry

348 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Alistair Te Ariki Campbell was one of the leading writers of the South Pacific. He published many volumes of poetry, as well as plays, fiction, and an autobiography. His writing was heavily influenced by his life experiences and his South Pacific heritage.

Reviews

[Micha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh. So this took me a month to read.

I struggled at the start, because I really don't read a lot that requires too much thinking, and this stuff does.

Then I got into really enjoying it. I knew it would take me some time to get through, so I returned my library copy (which I only picked up because I thought he was handsome, and I was intrigued to read what he wrote, plus I'd never heard of him) and bought my own.

There were parts I did not enjoy, I felt uncomfortable, but made myself push through.

There were a LOT of war poems, which reflects the impact WW2 would have had on his life.

It reads almost autobiographical, in many ways, and areas felt more 'prose' than 'poetry' for me. I feel it is more 'intellectual' than I am, and felt I read without taking anything in many times.

I am glad I purchased it. I am glad I didn't stop reading it. I felt the initial poems and the end poems were much easier reads, with the middle being a bit of a slog, but I will undoubtedly pick it up again and browse though rereading select poems.

I'd probably 3.5-3.75 star it.