Literature

  The varied literary tradition from New Zealand to its rich Maori and Polynesian heritage is as much as to the history of its pioneers.

The first successes of the New Zealand literature were of foreign writers like Katherine Mansfield. Since the 1950s Frank Sargeson,  Janet Frame and others. The main literary form of New Zealand was the short story, but in recent decade’s novels as Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff, The Vintner's Luck, Elizabeth Knox and others have been both critical and popular success.

"Once Were Warriors" is a novel by Alan Duff, published in 1990 in New Zealand. It tells the story of an urban Maori family, Hekes, and portrays the reality of domestic violence in New Zealand. This novel is strongly influenced by childhood experiences lived by the author. 

   this novel is made ​​into a film in 1994, The film tells the story of an urban Māori family and Their Hekes the problems with poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence, mostly by family patriarch brought` on Jake.

   Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, poetry flourished in the hands of Allen Curnow and James K. Baxter. Also excels Vincent O'Sullivan, who is the current exponent playwright and short story.

   

James K. Baxter was one of New Zealand's best poets Known and loved best. In his short life have produced a huge number of poems, as well as plays, literary criticism, and social and religious commentary.

   This poet was deeply Catholic and highly contradictory. His poems were inspired by religious beliefs, family and personal experiences.

Poem

“Next to the tomb of Theseus”

The brambles and tangle Gramal

On the mound of gigantic bones

This king despised mother love

He subdued the bullfighting chaos up

An aqueduct, a cenotaph.

His bones rot like all other

Human hatred, human fault

Move the state machine.

The lame beggar at the door waiting

You are free to laugh or spit yet.

Those branches are germinated entangled

On bones who never knew love.