Wellington writer and teacher Kate Duignan explains why her second novel has arrived 17 years after her debut.
Ah, that difficult second novel. Marilynne Robinson had almost a quarter-century between House-keeping and Gilead. “I’m dependent on the emergence of a voice,” she has said. “I can’t make them, they have to come to me. There’s no point in my worrying about it.”
Such serenity. I believe she was truly like this, too. Robinson seems to be that kind of person. There have been 17 years between my first and second novels. I would love to say I waited graciously until a voice emerged, and didn’t worry, but that would be a lie.
I started writing The New Ships in July, 2001. I was 27. Breakwater was just out, and I should have been elated, but I’d gone through a breakup, and I wasn’t. I read Colm Tóibín’s The Heather Blazing, about a widowed judge.
Denne historien er fra May 19-25 2018-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra May 19-25 2018-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
