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The Best New Zealand Fiction: Volume 1, Fiona Kidman (Editor)
Vintage
Reviewed by James O'Sullivan (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)
Writer Fiona Kidman reckons she has "the credentials to choose a good read", thus vindicating her editing a collection of New Zealand fiction "hot off the press". This new fiction includes short stories as well as excerpts from novels in progress. The general ploy is to give us a taste of what is being written in New Zealand now.
Just like when Major Strasser had been shot, Kidman rounds up the usual suspects.
Literary stalwarts Maurice Gee, Patricia Grace, Vincent O'Sullivan and Owen Marshall are all lined up here. Also included are young writers Craig Marriner and Julian Novitz, with extracts from their respective novels in progress.
This new fiction reflects the issues facing New Zealanders in a fast-changing world. Both Marriner's and Novitz's books follow New Zealand characters travelling through Europe. Marshall's story sees a regular New Zealand teacher suddenly confronted with the realities of immigration.
Not only do New Zealanders have to face the world, we also have to face each other. Many stories in this collection deal with unhappy families and people losing touch in this modern age with what's important.
But there is something desperately lacking in this collection. It's obvious from what's displayed here that we have many technically gifted writers in this country, yet most of these stories are ultimately dull. It appears our top writers are more concerned with the mechanics of writing than the art of writing. They choose to pack their stories with clever (and not so clever) similes and metaphors rather than make them interesting. And they lack humour. Only Marshall's story comes close to having a healthy strand of humour.
This volume is marketed as fresh, lively and new, but unfortunately the writing on show here is about as fresh as Grandad's old slippers. The aging stalwarts write how they've always written and the young ones aren't offering anything revolutionary. Not one single story leapt out at me proclaiming a significant new voice in New Zealand literature. Perhaps our literary scene is in a bit of a rut.