Book review of "the Best New Zealand Short Fiction, Vol 5" by Owen Marshall, Vintage Random House, New Zealand
Kuttainen, Victoria (2009) Book review of "the Best New Zealand Short Fiction, Vol 5" by Owen Marshall, Vintage Random House, New Zealand. The Short Review. pp. 1-2.
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Abstract
The above quote sums up this collection for me: little sparks of light spiralling up into the night, punctuating the ennui and emptiness of backwater life in rural or semi-urban isolated New Zealand. That's what these stories are, and why this collection matters to me. The superior power of the stars of best-selling fiction often outshines and extinguishes local voices: library-goers get sucked in by the Jodi Picoults and the Salman Rushdies, and if they even consider fiction from New Zealand, they do so obediently, reaching for well-known titles by Katherine Mansfield or Maurice Gee. It is only because of this that I ever dare venture inside the covers of national anthologies like this one, and as the Short Review's editor will attest, even when I do it takes me a long time to come up for air.
Item ID: | 15718 |
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Item Type: | Article (Book Review) |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jul 2011 22:40 |
FoR Codes: | 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2005 Literary Studies > 200505 New Zealand Literature (excl Maori Literature) @ 100% |
SEO Codes: | 95 CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING > 9502 Communication > 950203 Languages and Literature @ 100% |
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