Jane Austen on the British ten-pound note?

From the Christian Science Monitor

According to Sir Mervyn King, who is retiring as governor of the Bank of England, the famous author is merely “waiting in the wings” to appear on the country’s currency and could be the new face to grace the 10 pound note.

However, King’s replacement Mark Carney will have the final word on the decision. Carney takes up the post July 1.

“It is not the question of whether she is a woman or not, but she seems to me the greatest English writer apart from Shakespeare,” John Mullan, an English professor at University College London, told the Guardian.

However, Daily Mirror writer Susie Boniface was not impressed by the idea.

“If ever there were a reason to abandon money altogether it is [this],” she wrote. “There’s nothing wrong with Austen – she wrote perfectly good books, was a woman trapped by her class and found a voice that still resonates. Good on her, but she didn’t change the world.” Boniface suggested scientist Rosalind Franklin, writer Mary Wollstonecraft, or mathematician Ada Lovelace as possible substitutes.

Not change the world?  Good lord, has Ms. Boniface not read any romance at all? Jane Austen inspired the genre that has ruled the bestseller lists for several generations. 

But Victoria McNally, a writer for the website Geekosystem, was so won over by the Austen money idea that she asked when “the U.S. [is] gonna step up its game?”

“Between this and Canada’s dinosaur coins, why is everybody else’s money so much cooler than ours?” she asked. “Come on, USA, get with the times!”

And it would be lovely if American notes were different colors for different denominations, too.

UTU REDUX

I was delighted to read in this morning's Dominion Post that the brilliant film UTU has been remastered, and will be re-issued as UTU REDUX.

Zac Wallace as Te Wheke in Utu

Veteran director Geoff Murphy is hoping to get some revenge on film critics when a remastered version of his classic 1983 movie Utu premieres in Wellington.

New Zealand critics savaged the film at the time, but Wellington director Gaylene Preston hails it as a "visonary" piece of work.

Murphy says Utu: Redux will be shown to a "completely different country", unmarred by the confrontational nature of Maori and Pakeha relations in the 1980s.

The film reaped international kudos at the time - becoming the first New Zealand film to be accepted into the Cannes Film Festival - but audiences at home were less embracing.
A new cut of the historical epic will premiere as part of the International Film Festival in Wellington and Auckland next month.

Along with Sir Peter Jackson's production studio Park Road Post, Murphy and photography director Graeme Cowley have spent three years and $250,000 digitalising and remastering Utu.

If you get the chance, go and see it.  One of the most moving and thought-provoking films I have ever seen.

I am Legend author dies

The BBC reports that Richard Matheson has passed away

Born in Allendale, New Jersey, in 1926 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Matheson first began publishing science-fiction and horror stories in the 1950s.

"Richard Matheson's ironic and iconic imagination created seminal science-fiction stories and gave me my first break when he wrote the short story and screenplay for Duel," Spielberg said in a statement.

Steven Spielberg's first feature-length film, Duel, was based on Matheson's short story of the same name.

"His Twilight Zones were among my favourites, and he recently worked with us on Real Steel. For me, he is in the same category as [Ray] Bradbury and [Isaac] Asimov."

In a career spanning some 60 years, many of the author's works were adapted for both the big and small screens.

I Am Legend was his most successful, inspiring four film adaptations - most recently in 2007 starring Will Smith (pictured in a scene from the film).

The novel was considered a landmark work in the genre, ushering in apocalyptic themes to post-WWII America.

Vincent Price starred in the first adaptation in 1964, titled as The Last Man on Earth.

Charlton Heston later starred in the 1971 adaptation, Omega Man.

The 2007 version saw Smith star as Robert Neville - the seemingly last human on Earth - trying to find a cure for a genetically-engineered virus that has turned the population into mutant vampiric creatures.

Self-published book wins major award

A teen novel that begins its dramatic journey on New Zealand’s East Coast has picked up the top prize at this year’s New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.

Into the River was the book that stood out for us,” says Chief Judge and author Bernard Beckett.

“Traditionally, books aimed at the top end of the young adult market [ages 15+] have not been a strength of ours here in New Zealand, with most books aimed nearer the junior fiction boundary. We were delighted to see a book that both engaged and respected older readers, with material as subtle as it is honest and provocative.

“We congratulate Ted for his superb book, as well as the other winners and finalists who have shown the calibre of children’s books in New Zealand to be well above par.
“It was great to see new talent emerging to line up alongside more established authors and illustrators,” Bernard Beckett said.

The judging panel also comprised children’s literature expert and author Eirlys Hunter and presenter of Radio New Zealand’s Arts on Sunday programme, Lynn Freeman. Together, the panel handpicked 19 finalists from a field of more than a hundred children’s book entries.

The New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards promote excellence and provide recognition for the best written and illustrated children’s books published by New Zealand authors each year.

As the winner of both the Young Adult Fiction category and the New Zealand Post Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, Mr Dawe received a total of $15,000 in cash prizes.

A major achievement, and congratulations to the gifted Mr. Dawe.  This prize-winning junior novel was published by "Mangakino University Press" -- an inside joke, as Mangakino is a tiny settlement in the central part of the North Island, in an area that is focused on farming, timber and hydro-electricity generation.  Ted Dawe published his first prize-winner with Longacre Press ... so what happened?  Why did he make the decision to launch out on his own?  His rather jerky website does not explain, but it does have a tempting sample from the book.  And you can purchase it from the site, as well.

Recommend an Indie author

The Guardian newspaper poses an interesting challenge

"Welcome to our new series on self-publishing," says the author of this new blog, Hannah Freeman.

And, forthwith, she starts a voyage of discovery of great Indie authors. 

"The format of this series is straightforward: each week we invite a self-published author to complete a Q&A, telling us about their work and giving us a little taster of it. They then nominate the next self-published author to answer our questions - like a daisy chain. If we find that we have a run of pieces from authors writing in the same genre or on the same subject, we will break the chain. This is where you come in. Using the form below, we'd like you to tell us about any great self-published authors you have read and you think deserve more attention. We'll pick the next author from your suggestions. Make sense? I hope so."

Want to recommend an author or a book?  It's easy.  Hit the link, find the form, and fill it out. 

Simon Sweetman reviews Richard Clayderman

In his DomPost review, Simon Sweetman emphasizes that the world-ranking pops-pianist got an empty hall

French pianist Richard Clayderman sold millions of records by combining easy listening pop melodies and trace-around classical playing, he says (enviously?).

In fact, he has sold so many albums he has been deemed the world's most successful pianist by the never-discerning Guinness World Records. ("Never discerning? Oh dear!)

It's a very small audience to greet Clayderman - embarrassing, in fact. The Michael Fowler Centre hall is almost echoing with the emptiness, just the handful of front rows full, two-thirds of the auditorium offering a silence that should speak louder than any other form of criticism. This concert could have been held in the foyer.

For heaven's sake, the concert (Friday 21 June) was the second night of Wellington's biggest storm since the Wahine disaster.  It hit like a freight train at 5 pm on the Thursday, and it was almost impossible to get outside until the Sunday morning.

All of Wellington was cowering under gale-force blasts and torrential rain.  And the blue-rinse audience that would have gladly attended this concert was particularly prone to stay at home.

And this reviewer was surprised that the hall was empty?

Methinks he had an axe to grind...

OSB review of JUDAS ISLAND

From Old Salt Blog

Joan Druett’s Judas Island, the first book of her Promise of Gold trilogy, is a delightful mix of nautical adventure, romance and droll comedy.

In the novel, Harriet Gray, an eighteen year old British actress, finds herself abandoned on the deck of the brig Gosling, a ship whose ownership is unclear and which is under the command of Jake Dexter, a captain who technically may be a pirate, even if he does not think of himself as such.

The crew is a motley band of treasure seekers, now highly distracted by the lovely young actress who stands before them. The Gosling is anchored off the brooding Judas Island. Captain Dexter and his crew are trying to unravel the island’s mysteries and find the treasure that is rumored to be be hidden somewhere on its shores, although to no avail.

Harriet impetuously buys her way into the band of adventurers and induces them to sail to Valparaiso in search of her brother, who is rounding up a herd of alpaca, which she promises the crew will bring them all riches.

What makes this novel such fun is that it is quite different from much of nautical fiction and yet feels wholly authentic. Joan Druett has written over 20 books of both nautical fiction and non-fiction, and has won multiple awards for her histories. Among other things, Druett is an authority on women at sea in the 19th century. Whereas in most nautical fiction, women are either loyal wives, mistresses or prostitutes, Harriet Gray is a resourceful young woman making her way under difficult conditions in a dangerous world, both at sea and ashore. No less fascinating is Captain Jake Dexter, out to seek his fortune after being betrayed by his employer and the woman he loved. The sparks of both attraction and repulsion between these two strong and vividly drawn characters will be entertaining to see develop over the next two books of the trilogy.

One other wonderful aspect of the novel is the dry humor throughout the book. Usually, it lurks just below the surface, though in several scenes it breaks through uproariously. When the Gosling‘s crew goes ashore in Valparaiso to seek out Harriet’s missing brother, who turns out to be a wanted fugitive, they succeed in finding the slender Englishman, reeking to high heaven after being spat upon by unhappy llamas. In the process, they also tip off the authorities to his whereabouts. In the ensuing chase, the Gosling‘s crew and their smelly companion are narrowly rescued by Captain Dexter in a purloined public coach, careening through Valparaiso’s waterfront streets. A very funny scene indeed.

Judas Island is a highly entertaining sea adventure with a refreshingly different cast of characters told by a master storyteller. Highly recommended. I look forward to reading the next two books of the trilogy, Calafia’s Kingdom and Dearest Enemy.

"Cultural diplomat" awarded Hawaii writing residency

Former diplomat, magazine columnist, Pacific historian and poet Leilani Tamu from Auckland will spend three months in Hawai‘i writing about “Cultural Diplomacy” for a book of the same name, as recipient of the 2013 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency.

A self-professed “pale-skinned, brown-eyed woman of Pacific Island descent”, Leilani examined her mixed Samoan/Pākehā heritage in an opinion piece for Spasifik magazine in mid-2012, while working as a New Zealand diplomat to the Kingdom of Tonga. Soon after, she was offered a regular column for Auckland’s Metro magazine. In the column “Cultural Diplomacy” she has written about social and cultural issues including racism, unemployment, home ownership and youth suicide.

On her exchange to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa from September, Leilani will work on a second book of poetry and prose, also entitled Cultural Diplomacy (her first book of poetry is scheduled for release in early 2014). The book will include an exploration of the life of Princess Kaʻiulani, a 19^th century Hawaiian princess of mixed cultural heritage who was heir to the throne before the monarchy was overthrown and the kingdom annexed by the United States of America. Born to a Scottish father and educated in England, Princess Kaʻiulani visited the US following the deposition of her aunt as queen to fight for her kingdom and people, and is held up by Leilani as “a great example of a Polynesian ancestor who effectively exercised the art of cultural diplomacy in her time”. The book will also feature dialogue with contemporary New Zealand and Hawaiian poets of mixed cultural heritage, discussing how their heritage has shaped their work.

Leilani Tamu is the tenth recipient of the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency, which was established in 2004 to develop and foster closer links between the peoples of New Zealand and Hawai‘i, to increase the profile and awareness of Pacific literature as an art form within New Zealand, and to provide New Zealand writers of Pacific heritage with the time and opportunity to undertake creative and professional development while working on a new project. Previous writers from various genres to receive the award have included filmmaker Sima Urale, poets Tusiata Avia and Daren Kamali, and playwright Victor Rodger.

“This residency has offered great opportunities for many talented New Zealand writers of Pacific heritage for over 10 years,” says Creative New Zealand’s Pacific Arts Committee Chair Luamanuvao Winnie Laban. “Leilani’s fascinating exploration into mixed cultural heritage through her rich and varied career makes her a deserving recipient of this year’s residency. We are excited to read the material she will produce.”

How the internet can "mutate" reality

Fake Blake poem widely disseminated on the 'net

From the BBC

A school librarian has discovered that a poem widely attributed to William Blake, including in school reading lists, was not really written by him.

Rather than the work of an English poet in the 19th Century, Two Sunflowers Move into the Yellow Room was written in the United States in the 1980s.

This mislabelling shows how the internet can replicate errors, warns Thomas Pitchford, a librarian in a Hertfordshire secondary school.

"We just accept too quickly," he says.

An online search for "Two Sunflowers Move into the Yellow Room" will produce numerous references to this as a poem by William Blake, the radical English writer and artist who died in the 19th Century.

There are essay questions, anthologies, lesson plans, discussion forums, teachers' resources and online reference websites all interpreting this poem as an example of 19th Century poetry.

But Mr Pitchford says that when he saw the poem attributed to William Blake, he immediately thought the style bore little relation to the poet's other work.
He soon established that the poem was really by Nancy Willard and had been published in 1981 in an anthology called A Visit to William Blake's Inn.

But the librarian, who works at Hitchin Boys' School, then realised how far and wide the mistake had travelled, with internet sites copying and distributing the false connection with Blake.

Story by Sean Coughlan

The impending collision

 The transcript of communications between a U.S. Naval vessel and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995. This radio conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on 10 October 1995…..

AMERICANS: “Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision.”

CANADIANS: “Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.”

AMERICANS: “This is the Captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course 15 degrees North.”

CANADIANS: “ Negative, I say again, you divert YOUR course.”

AMERICANS: “THIS IS THE UNITED STATES NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH….THAT’S ONE-FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFTEY OF THIS SHIP.”

CANADIANS: “This is a lighthouse….your call.”

With thanks to Margaret Muir

Painting of Scituate lighthouse, Cape Cod, by Ron Druett