Deep River Talk: Collected Poems

by Hone Tuwhare

Book by Tuwhare, Hone

Genres: Poetry

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Hone Tuwhare was New Zealand’s most distinguished Maori poet writing in English. He was born in Kaikohe into the Nga Puhi tribe (hapu Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Tautahi, Te Popoto, Uri-o-hau). He began writing during his apprenticeship on the railways, where he became involved in trade unions. He was an organiser of the first Maori Writers and Artists Conference at Te Kaha in 1973 and participated in the Maori Land March of 1975. Tuwhare won two Montana NZ Book Awards, was Te Mata Poet Laureate, and held two honorary doctorates in literature. In 2003 he was among ten of New Zealand’s greatest living artists named as Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Artists. Tuwhare passed away in 2008.

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several excellent resonant evocative poems. I enjoyed the whole collection as a memory and a history and a lesson and an exploration.

[Danni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hone Tuwhare is legendary in New Zealand, of course, so I was eager to read this book following his death. Several of the poems simply astounded me with their resonance, their visceral cadence, and turns of phrase so deftly crafted that they seemed spiritually inspired. What's more, these little masterpieces seemed effortless and unpretentious, like small accidents of divinity. To me, that's the epitome of good writing.

Other poems fall well short of this result, but only by comparison. While his lesser poems are fine pieces, their proximity to such exquisite work dulls their effect.

Overall, there is a flow to his work which makes reading the entire volume well worth one's time. There are many intimate cultural references which may be lost on those for whom New Zealand and Moaridom are unfamiliar, but these are presented in an accessible way and their presence adds richness to the music of each poem.

I rated Deep River Talk with three stars for the entire book, but there are individual poems which, in my estimation, exceed the limits of the rating system altogether. Tuwhare's words have nourished me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning collection. Took me months to read because I kept savoring the poems.