Long-serving 'Landfair

Press, 2 June 1984, Page 20

Long-serving 'Landfair

Landfall 149, March 1984. Edited by David Dowling. Caxton Press. 128 pp. $5. (Reviewed by Tom Weston) “Landfall,” New Zealand’s longestserving literary journal, is now 37 years old. In these terms it is quite an achievement. But longevity of itself is not much of an accolade. It might bestow the dubious honour “Institution,” but it does not necessarily place the journal central to our literary heart. And in my view, it is not central. The bright promise and purpose of the earlier issues has faded into the doldrums of (near) middle-age. Mind you, finding the “heart” would be difficult at the best of times. This country’s writers are sectarian and diverse. A small, cheaply produced journal can afford to preach to its small band of devoted listeners. It can rant, espouse a particular line, and in so doing channel its energy into an aggressive and hardhitting publication. “Landfall,” by comparison, tries to straddle the whole field, and suffers as a consequence.

There are several reasons for this. New Zealand is a sparsely populated country with a minute audience for literary matters. “Landfall” carries little advertising and is thus largely dependent on its readership for survival. Production standards are high and must cost accordingly. The editor has to attract as wide a readership as possible to make it pay. He cannot afford to be sectarian. Risks are kept to a minimum. Inevitably there is some compromise. An in-depth analysis is out of the question here, but it does seem that such problems provide a serious obstacle. Issue 149 — the most recent — reflects this. Which is a pity. Much of its individual contents are good, but as a totality they sit uneasily together. David Howard’s poem sequence is particularly exciting, carrying a sureness of line and voice that bodes well. Albert Wendt’s short story, although marred by one paragraph too many, is also deserving of attention. But the over-all effect, the final view of “Landfall,” is pedestrian. Why must this be?