There was an understandably big crowd at The Piano last night for A. N. Wilson in conversation with Christopher Moore. Part of the WORD Christchurch Autumn Season, we were treated to insights about the eminent novelist and biographer's new and upcoming works, as well as his distinguished career. As you can see, I was quite a […]
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Many years ago I used to bus up and down the Walworth Road and round the Elephant and Castle, south of the Thames in London, either on the 68 or the 468 (if memory serves me right Janet Frame used to take one of those buses, or one very similar). While I'd spend quite a […]
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On 25 April we will stop to remember those who served in the conflicts New Zealand has participated in, from the world wars to Iraq and Afghanistan, via Korea, Vietnam and others, and not forgetting New Zealand’s 19th century wars and the Boer War. There is much to remember, and this year the focus will […]
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Not that we haven't been doing just that for the last few months, but there's so much to say. America fascinates and repulses me. I couldn't live there - not just because I would eat all the food - but it is a fascinating place to observe, and we are fortunate to generally be able […]
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Stories are essential - without them nothing really has any meaning. But stories and meaning and knowledge are being lost all the time. We were honoured to have Charles Te Ahukaramū Royal as one of our presenters. He spoke about how the exact meaning of some words to describe Māori types of story has become unclear, […]
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Ted Dawe is coming to the WORD Christchurch Writers and Readers Festival this month, so I thought I'd better get up to date with his latest book Into the World, the final entry in his Devon Santos trilogy (although chronologically it is the middle instalment). Into the World joins together 2003's Thunder Road, a fast-paced […]
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The Battle of the Somme lasted from July to November 1916. The New Zealand Division became involved on 15 September at Flers-Courcelette, which was their first major action on the Western Front. While the casualty figures for the whole battle are horrendous for all nations involved, those for the opening day of the battle for […]
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It is just over a century since Frank Worsley, Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean reached a whaling station on remote South Georgia following a daring 16 day voyage to alert the world to the loss of Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition's ship Endurance. Because of this journey the rest of the crew - stranded on Elephant Island […]
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This May sees another 75th anniversary from the Second World War with great significance for New Zealand. From 20 May to 1 June 1941 Allied Forces, including the 2nd New Zealand Division, took part in the ultimately unsuccessful but fiercely fought battle for Crete. That April the Germans had invaded Yugoslavia and Greece and as they had quickly occupied […]
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On 23 April 2016 it will be 400 years since William Shakespeare died. He is believed to have been born on 23 April 1564. Certainly in the English language, few writers will have left such a legacy as this most celebrated of playwrights. As an actor as well as a playwright he performed his own […]
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