In A Slant Light
In this absorbing poetic memoir of her early life, Cilla McQueen, one of New Zealands major women poets, leads us over the stepping stones of childhood memory, some half submerged, some strong and glinting in the light of her wit: In the large lead shoe X-ray machine at the back of the shoe shop, our skeletal feet appeared at the press of a button. We irradiated ourselves further when the shop assistant wasnt looking.
I tried the magic trick of pulling the tablecloth out from under our plates of tomato soup. This didnt work. With humour and openness, clarity and grace, the memoir continues through her teenage years and the excitement and turbulence, the expansion and vulnerability, of university days and early motherhood in the 1960s and 1970s
raising a young child alone, falling in love with Ralph Hotere and witnessing his deeply immersive artistic practice
This account of the life of an extraordinary verbal artist is immensely warm and welcoming: time falls away as we read. The lightness of Cillas touch coupled with the grit of her endurance through challenging personal circumstances makes the reader feel privileged to be invited in to the quiet wisdom worn here with both integrity and modesty. From the sweet shocks of her imagery to the joy of recognition of many shared experiences of a New Zealand childhood, this memoir brings a honeyed, sensitive yet utterly resilient voice in our local literature as close as the voice of a good friend. This is a book not only for those who love Cilla McQueens poetry, but for anyone fascinated by the social, artistic and literary history of New Zealand.
Price:
NZ$ 35.00
hardback
134
165 x 235 mm
13-05-2016
20-05-2016
9781877578717