NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 30, 4 August 1909, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND LITERATURE.

ADDRESS BY MRS. GROSSMAN. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 25th June. New Zealand literature was well presented by Mrs. Searle Grossman at a meeting of the^ Lyceum Club last week, Lady Stout presiding. Mrs. Grossman opened by saying thai this subject had never before been introduced to the London public, except in a very brief and cursory sketch { in the Cassell's Magazine this February. She appealed to tho Colonial Circle of the Club, as one of those Imperial societies which were doing such generous and necessary work in preserving tho community of feeling throughout the Empire, to receive the embryo literature with their usual hospitality. Imperialists might ask: Was (hero such a thing as any distinctive group of New Zealand writers ? There was a group with come "distinctive features" — love of reform und progress, shown both in poems and in Utopian books; love of nature, quite different from anything found among 20fh century English writers. A special, relation between nature and the New Zealand poet or novelist, freshens the outlook into the future But most noticeable was its continuity with English literature, while iv Australia there has been a violent di&rupture of stylo. First of our poets was Miss Mackay, whoso poems distinctly resembled the finest folk bongs of Scotland or Germany. Several poems of Mifes Mackay's were read. ''A Folk Song," "For Love of Appin," "Tho- Groy Company," and "The Burial of Sir John Mackenzie" wore applauded enthusiastically. Other poems read were — Mary Colborne Veel's "Emigrant," Dora Wilcox's "Last of tho Forest," Mr. Reevcs's "NewZealand," boino humorous verses by Miss Mary Richmond, Arthur Adams's "Dwellings of our Dead," lines by Hubert Church, and reference was made to several other poets — Domett. Bracken, B. E. Baughan, etc. One specialty of the Dominion has been its Utopias. In the latest "Life of Nietzsche" Professor Muggs refers to Utopian literature, and gives the names oE some dozen of the most famous Utopias from More and Campanilla down to 11. G. Wells. Two of those mentioned come from New Zealand — "Erewhon" and "Lirnanora." Amongst novelists we have first and foremost '"G. B. Lancaster" (from whoso books some extract 1 ? v. ere rcud), Mr. Satchell, Marriott Watson (only his "Web of the Spider" really belongs to thu Dominion), Mrs. Baker ("Alien"), etc. In other prose works, exceptionally good descrintivo works, o.g Mr. Roeyes's "Long White Cloud." .ludgo Maning's "Old New Zealand," and other books, exceptionally thorough scientific works each in its own line a classic, eg. Bullet's "Birds of New Zonlahd," l J rofe B {-or Kirk's "Forest Flora of New Zealand." Lang and Malhebon's "Plant Life of New Zealand," a work by G. V Hudson on New Zealand Entomology and anothor by Mr. Drummond on Animal Life of New Zealand.