Forms of Freedom
Marxist Essays in New Zealand and Australian Literature
By Dougal McNeill
In Forms of Freedom Dougal McNeill explores how the creative literary imagination can influence progressive social change in the real world. In engaging prose and with impressive intellectual range, McNeill applies insights from Marxist critical theory to the works of selected Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian writers and reveals literature’s capacity to find potent forms with which to articulate concepts of, and beliefs about, freedom.
Release date: 15 August 2024
Koe: An Aotearoa ecopoetry anthology
Selected by Janet Newman and Robert Sullivan
With more than 100 poems of celebration, elegy, fear, hope and activism, Koe An Aotearoa Ecopoetry Anthology provides a comprehensive overview of the traditions, development and heritage of a unique Aotearoa New Zealand ecopoetry derived from both traditional Māori poetry and the English poetry canon, challenging traditional Eurocentric perspectives and wrestling with the impacts of European colonisation.
Release date: 22 August 2024
The Twisted Chain
By Jason Gurney
The Twisted Chain combines a personal story about the impacts of rheumatic fever in Jason Gurney’s family with an exploration of the multi-factorial causes of rheumatic fever, investigating the reasons for the shockingly high rates of rheumatic fever in New Zealand’s Māori and Pasifika communities.
Release date: 11 September 2024
Remembering and Becoming
Oral History in Aotearoa New Zealand
Edited by Megan Hutching and Anna Green
Remembering and Becoming investigates how oral histories can enrich our understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s past. The book provides clear explanations of oral history methodologies and insightful analyses of personal narratives while exploring themes such as race, culture, class, religion, gender, place, sexuality and family. Drawing from diverse backgrounds and extensive experience, the contributing authors challenge conventional historical assumptions and highlight the unique insights oral histories offer.
Pretty Ugly
Kirsty Gunn
Pretty Ugly by Kirsty Gunn is the inaugural title in a new series of short story collections from Landfall Tauraka and Otago University Press, celebrating the art of short fiction in Aotearoa New Zealand. These 13 stories, set in New Zealand and in the UK, are a testament to Gunn’s unrivalled ability to look directly into the troubled human heart and draw out what dwells there. Gunn’s is a steady, unflinching gaze. Each story is an exquisite, thorn-sharp bouquet.