Dimensions
137 x 203 x 46mm
Edited by Vincent O'Sulivan.
Peter Simpson in reviewing Owen Marshall’s stories in the NEW ZEALAND LISTENER wrote: ‘Marshall is held in uncommon affection by New Zealand readers – generally we admire and respect rather than love our writers.’ This love is perhaps evoked not just by the superb quality of Marshall's writing but because his stories so precisely capture his fellow New Zealanders and their country. From the provinces to the cities, the remote landscapes to journeying overseas, Marshall’s stories show a deep understanding of who and where we are. Sometimes he skewers us with sharp and sly comedy, in other stories there’s an elegiac sadness or a grim reality, but always an insightful exploration of human emotions.
From the substantial body of work created over the last thirty years, Vincent O'Sullivan has selected sixty stories that give a wide representation of Marshall's range. He once wrote that short stories should aspire to a combination of 'intransigence and poetry', both of which are evident in this fine selection.