Friday, 01 December 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Book review: A Clear Dawn, anthology of non-fiction, fiction and poetry covers the diversity of New Zealand

By Saradha Koirala
15 May, 2021 12:00 AM3 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand
Edited by Paula Morris and Alison Wong
(Auckland University Press, $50)

Taking its title from Ya-Wen Ho's translation of a Li Po poem, A Clear Dawn holds all the promise and possibility of its namesake, suggesting a clear way forward for new voices to be heard and the dawning of greater representation, publication and recognition of a diversity of New Zealand writers.

Naturally the diversity of writers leads to a diversity of content. This is an anthology of creative non-fiction, fiction and poetry with excerpts from novels, previously unpublished works, and published pieces from the last decade. While some writers explore ideas about being Asian, being migrants, being torn between the traditions of family and discovering their true self, others write about being queer, being alone, being young, being old, revenge, jealousy and mass hysteria. It would be impossible to draw any major themes together, although some pieces do seem to talk to each other or nod knowingly in each other's direction.

The pieces in A Clear Dawn are ordered alphabetically by author name, which allows the reader to flick back and forth without missing something in the careful ordering. Author biographies appear at the start of each piece, rather than listed at the back of the book, tying the writer's identity much more closely to their own work, letting them introduce their piece and give the reader something to consider while reading.

In Latika Vasil's introduction to her story "River", she describes her childhood memories of India as "strangely disjointed images – sleeping on the rooftop of my grandmother's house, looking at the stars through a mosquito net; a yellow and black snake floating in floodwaters outside our house in Calcutta – and I'm not even sure these are real or imagined. New Zealand has been home for a very long time."

Highlights from the work itself include the experimental pieces by Akeli and Ki Anthony; Russell Boey's gentle and heartbreaking story "Pooh sticks"; the precise imagery in the poetry of Joanna Cho and Vanessa Mei Crofskey; and Grace Lee's award-winning essay on body image, "Body/love".

Drawing on lived experiences, Himali McInnes shows the sinister misogyny of accusations of "sanguma", or witchcraft in Papua New Guinea in her story "Forest fire". Cybella Maffitt expresses what it's like to feel like a disappointment to older family members in her poem "But the onions won't grow this year". And E Wen Wong draws parallels between 9/11 and the horrors of March 15, 2019 in her poem, "one world sleeps in an apple".

Reading the diversity of works in A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand it is clear that a change to our understanding of Aotearoa's cultural and literary landscape is necessary. Representation matters and the success of this anthology is not just in its one-off representation of such a range of writers, but in bringing to light those, who, I hope, will continue to be represented in anthologies not just limited to Asian voices. In embracing the vague and general term "Asian", the editors have shown just how complex a word it really is.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Reviewed by Saradha Koirala

Saradha Koirala is the author of three poetry collections and a teen novel. She teaches English, literature and creative writing in Melbourne. A longer version of this review will appear on www.anzliterature.com.

Related articles

Lifestyle

Country vet life like Jane Austen in Red Band gumboots

01 May 12:00 AM
Lifestyle

Bookie wonderland: How book club became the new nightclub

14 Apr 06:00 PM
Business

Treasure trove of rare books for sale

07 May 05:27 AM
Saveshare

Share this article

Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Royals

Ironed shoelaces? King Charles royally “ridiculous” demands revealed

01 Dec 04:38 AM
Lifestyle

‘I gave birth at 70 thanks to IVF – but my partner left because it was twins’

01 Dec 03:58 AM
Lifestyle

Cancer strikes South Canterbury preschool twice

01 Dec 02:47 AM
Royals

Royals named: Identities of ‘royal racists’ spread across globe as Palace considers legal action

01 Dec 02:27 AM

The helper who needed help

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Ironed shoelaces? King Charles royally “ridiculous” demands revealed

Ironed shoelaces? King Charles royally “ridiculous” demands revealed

01 Dec 04:38 AM

The book has laid bare the “ridiculous” demands of the monarch.

‘I gave birth at 70 thanks to IVF – but my partner left because it was twins’

‘I gave birth at 70 thanks to IVF – but my partner left because it was twins’

01 Dec 03:58 AM
Cancer strikes South Canterbury preschool twice

Cancer strikes South Canterbury preschool twice

01 Dec 02:47 AM
Royals named: Identities of ‘royal racists’ spread across globe as Palace considers legal action

Royals named: Identities of ‘royal racists’ spread across globe as Palace considers legal action

01 Dec 02:27 AM
How you can support young families in hospital
sponsored

How you can support young families in hospital

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP