Prompted by the publication of my novel The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt in the UK this month, BBC Radio4’s Open Book programme asked me to deliver a Literary Postcard from New Zealand, as part of an occasional series they commission from writers based outside the UK.
For my Literary Postcard, I decided to focus on Wellington — where I live — and its landscape/bookscape, then to widen out from there to touch on the contemporary book scene in New Zealand, including the recent announcement of the longlist for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. I finish on a local book I’m greatly looking forward to, due out later this year: Sarah Laing’s Mansfield and Me (VUP).
Listen to the podcast online (my postcard is available as the second chapter of the episode), or you can download the whole episode (my postcard starts at 08:50 minutes).
The books mentioned in the postcard are listed below:
Chappy by Patricia Grace (2015)
The Chimes by Anna Smaill (2015)
The Invisible Mile by David Coventry (2015)
The Antipodeans by Greg McGee (2015)
Mansfield and Me by Sarah Laing (published later this year – head to Sarah’s blog for a taste)