Periodicals

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33047, 14 October 1972, Page 10

Periodicals

Islands Vol. 1, No. 1. Edited and Published by Robin Dudding. 84 pp., 4 plates. It is quite normal for a new magazine to attract token contributions from well-known writers, but no New Zealand literary journal has ever started with the brilliant flourish of “Islands 1.” Allen Curnow has published hardly any new poetry in the last 15 years; he breaks the silence in “Islands 1” with seven new poems which show surprising technical advances, and the announcement that they will form part of a new collection to be published later this year. Denis Glover contributes an article on Bob Gormack’s Nag’s Head Press, Charles Brasch reports on the Rotterdam “Poetry International” festival, and Vincent O’Sullivan’s 12 related poems suggest that his forthcoming book will be his best so far. There is poetry from Bill Manhire, Russell Haley, and A. D. Hope, an Australian letter, and David Gunby applies his versatile pen to a discussion of a New Zealand novel by G. A. Henty, the Victorian author of boys’ adventure stories. James K. Baxter’s contribution, “Elegy for Boyle Crescent,” is a sevenpage narrative of a life spiced with poverty and drugs, an odd, but most interesting, mixture of lyrical prose* poetry and social comment. Robert H. Leek, himself a playwright, reviews Auckland theatre, and J. E. P. Thomson writes about “Six Wellington Films,” as well as reviewing Glover’s “Diary.” There is a story by the Bums Fellow, lan Wedde, and an engrossing extract from an experimental prose work in progress by Michael Henderson. In reading through this “Islands,” one is impressed that writers are not only contributing but are obviously giving of their best: C. K. Stead and James Bertram, for example, must have a very ready market for their critical writings, and yet their reviews in this issue seem to have been the object of special care. Altogether, this inaugural issue of “Islands” reads as an overwhelming vote of confidence in Robin Dudding’s editorship. Edge 4. Edited by D. S. Long. Edge Press. 72 pp. “Edge,” one of the four literary magazines now published in Christchurch, has been coming out for nearly two years, and with this fourth issue is the news that in 1973 it will become tri-quarterly. The most remarkable feature of its life so far is the range of contributions from highly-regarded overseas Writers, which has increased as the representation of mature New Zealand writers has gone down. If this can become rather more balanced, either by attracting the older writers back again or by getting consistently better work from younger local writers (who now have more outlets than ever at their disposal), and if the presentation can be improved (it especially needs a table of contents), then “Edge” will indeed by a magazine to be proud r>r