N.Z. women writers ply books in Oslo

Press, 2 July 1986, Page 21

N.Z. women writers ply books in Oslo

Special correspondent Oslo Seven New Zealand women taking part in the second international feminist book fair in Oslo feel that the event has enhanced further interest in New Zealand women’s writing. “From our viewpoint what happens here is a follow-up to ‘The Bone People,’ which put us on the literary map,” said Jacqueline Baxter, of Wellington. “There is now a definite regard overseas for New Zealand books. We have several offers for sales and translation rights under consideration.” The week-long fair, held at Oslo University and an exhibition site which was once a shipyard on the waterfront, has attracted vast crowds and Swedish and foreign news media.

Leading authors holding talks or readings include Nawal El Sadaawi, of Egypt, Marie Cardinal, of France, an American, Lisa Alther, and Soweto’s “mother," Ellen Kuzwayo. Mingling amongst this festival of books are women from Uruguay and Czechoslavakia who talk about writing as a danger-

ous profession,* black anti-racist writers from Britain and the United States; Chinese, Soviet and Australian publishers; and critics from all over. “Our party has an association with Spiral Collective,’’ said Patricia Grace. “We attend as publishers, librarians or writers. “The fair is not just concerned with feminist writing. It has scope for all writing by women, like science fiction, technical works or children’s books,” she said. During a day given over to a world-wide writing tour, Irihapeti Ramsden, of Wellington, and Arapera Blank, of Auckland, spoke about Maori women’s writing. After reading a previously unpublished prose work, Stephanie Baxter, aged 17, was approached by a Norwegian publisher wanting to print her manuscript

From the unusual midsummer heat and white nights of Oslo, the New Zealanders head for Stockholm on a special mission: The private viewing of a Maori cloak in the New Zealand section of the Ethnographical

Museum there. “It’s from the east coast of the North Island, dating back to the Nga Kakano period,” said Irihapeti Ramsden, “and was possibly brought to Sweden by the Swedish botanist Daniel Solander, who sailed in the Endeavour in 1761.”