News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Ralph Hotere, or Hone Papita Raukura, was a prominent Māori artist and widely recognised as one of New Zealand’s most important artists. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and was of Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa decent. Known as a “warrior artist”, he was renowned for his passionately political artworks, as he provocatively portrayed some of New Zealand’s most divisive historical events. He is attributed with having helped shape New Zealand’s cultural identity, and was accordingly appointed to the Order of New Zealand in the New Year Honours 2012 for services to New Zealand. He passed away on 24 February 2013 at age 81, and was mourned and remembered in a large service in Dunedin on 28 February.

We have many books about Ralph Hotere here at the library:

Ralph Hotere : black light : major works, including collaborations with Bill Culbert / [editors, Cilla McQueen ... [et al.]]

Ralph Hotere / with Kriselle Baker & Vincent O’Sullivan.

Hotere : empty of shadows and making a shadow : lithographs by Ralph Hotere / Peter Vangioni, Jillian Cassidy ; introduction by Marian Maguire.

The desire of the line : Ralph Hotere figurative works / Kriselle Baker.

As well as these, we have a DVD about Ralph Hotere:

Ralph Hotere / directed by Darcy Lange.

And even a video!

Hotere [videorecording] / a Paradise Films production ; written & directed by Merata Mita.
Discusses the artwork of New Zealand’s most famous contemporary Māori artist, Ralph Hotere. Suggested audience: general.

We also have a full collection at Central Library of Art New Zealand magazines, dating back to 1976. Ralph Hotere features in a huge number of them. If you need assistance to access the collection, just ask at any of our Central Library enquiries desks and we’ll be glad to help.

The American science fiction writer Harry Harrison has died aged 87. A prolific writer, he began his literary career writing for American comics and Science Fiction Magazines. His first novel Deathworld was published in 1960, 58 novels were to follow, also 9 collections of short stories, plus novellas, and non-fiction works. He edited numerous Science Fiction anthologies, many with fellow writer Brian Aldiss. His most well know novels were, The Stainless Steel Rat, Bill, the Galactic Hero and Deathworld, all series. All these novels are satirical and witty. Harry Harrison, was a dedicated advocate for the international language Esperanto, and includes some in his early novels. His last novel titled, The Stainless Steel Rat Returns was published in 2010.

Gore Vidal, the American writer has died aged 86 years. A prolific writer, social and political commentator, he published his first novel titled Williwaw in 1946. Twenty-four novels followed, these included a series of American historical fiction. He was also an accomplished journalist, screenwriter and playwright, but was best known for his numerous essays. His last published fiction was a collection of short stories titled Clouds and Eclipses; this was a republication of a 1956 collection titled A Thirsty Evil, with one new story added.

The American science fiction, fantasy, horror and mystery writer, Ray Bradbury has died aged 91. He was born in Illinois in 1921. His first major works, The Martian Chronicles, were published in the 1950s. He continued his distinguished writing career, with another 26 published novels, and over 600 short stories. He also wrote for television, with some of his stories being adapted for programmes such as The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His best known novels were also adapted to film. Fahrenheit 451 (published in 1954) was adapted to film in 1966, The Illustrated Man, three short stories, was adapted in 1969, and the horror novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes (published in 1969) was released as a movie in 1983.

The well-known British Science Fiction author John Christopher has died aged 90. His real name was Christopher Samuel Youd, but he wrote under eight pseudonyms, with John Christopher, being the best known. A prolific writer, he was awarded the Guardian Award in 1976 for his children’s novel, The Guardians. His first major success as a writer came with his science fiction novel, The Death of Grass, published in 1956 and republished in 2009. It was adapted into film in 1970, as No Blade of Grass. He began writing science fiction for young adults in 1966, with the Tripods Trilogy, that became a quartet with A Pool of Fire, published in 1988. The Tripods novels were adapted into a television series.

Gordon Crook was born in England, and taught textile design at London’s Central School of Art. He came to New Zealand in 1972, where his art flourished. In 1979 he was commisioned to create 20 enormous banners for the New Zealand embassy in Washington, and a few years later made the banners that still hang in the entrance of the Michael Fowler Centre. In the decades that followed, his art – textiles, prints, paintings and collages – was exhibited throughout the country. Te Papa, who own some of his works, has a more detailed biography online here.

We hold a number of items that relate to Gordon Crook:

Gordon Crook : A Life of Art, is a a documentary from 2011 that looks at his life and his art. I personally recommend it.
Gordon Crook [Kaleidoscope]; this is a recording on VHS of the 1987 Kaleid0scope episode about his life, art, and philosophy.
Catelogue of an Exhibition of Tapestries and Drawings Based on the Theme of Adam and Eve (1978). Reference copy only.
Gordon Crook, by the Brooker Gallery. This was published in 1993, and is only 62 pages long, but is a very good collection of biographical articles and reproductions of Crook’s work.

Gordon Crook passed away on the 26th of August. In addition to being one of Wellington’s best artists, he was also a regular library user. He came in daily and was a friend to many library staff members; he will be sorely missed.

(From our Classical Music Popular Topic)

One of the leading Polish composers of the 20th (and 21st) Century, Górecki’s music has been compared to the likes of Messiaen and Arvo Pärt. He is best known for his Symphony No. 3 which reached number 6 in the British charts. You can read more about Górecki’s work and influence in this obituary in the Telegraph.

Górecki, by Adrian Thomas.
“This book is the first detailed study of Polish composer Henryk Górecki, whose Third Symphony, written in 1976 and released on CD in 1992, became a bestseller and brought Goreki international renown. Written by a leading enthusiast of Górecki’s music, this volume ranges from the composer’s large orchestral scores (Sconti, Refrain, the Symphonies) and choral works (Beatus Vir, commissioned by and dedicated to Pope John Paul II) to the more modest church songs and folk-song arrangements. Granted numerous interviews and access to unpublished material, the author discusses Górecki’s position as leader of the Polish avant-garde in the late 1950s, and his subsequent discovery of the folk and church music of Old Poland, most notably that of the Podhale region in southern Poland. The book includes a complete list of works since 1955 with details of instrumentation and recordings, and a select bibliography.” (Summary from catalogue)

Listen to some of his music on CD, or at the Naxos Music Library (you will need to enter your card number and surname).

The British novelist, dramatist and theatre critic, Dame Beryl Bainbridge has died aged 75.

Born in Liverpool in 1934, she worked as an actress and began writing after a disastrous marriage and relationship left her a single mother with three young children. Her first novel Harriet said was rejected many times and not published until 1972, four years after her third novel, Another part of the wood was published. In 1974 she won the Guardian Fiction Prize for The Bottle factory outing and in 1977 the Whitbread Prize for Injury time. Three of her 18 novels were short listed for the Booker Prize. Her slim novels are all urban black comedies, which highlight isolated eccentrics sometimes with violence, but often absurdity. Her last four novels have been based on historical events, Every man for himself, published in 1996 concerns the Titanic disaster, and Master Georgie is set during the Crimean War. Three of her novels were adapted to film. Beryl Bainbridge spent her life in Liverpool; she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2000.

It is again very sad to know this is the end of such a prolific, wonderful entertaining body of work. If you have never read one of Beryl Bainbridge’ s novels, please start now, you will definitely not be disappointed, and I can guarantee you will want to read more.

Sources: Wikipedia

The English writer Alan Sillitoe has died aged 82. Born in Nottingham, to a working class family he left school at 14 to work in the Raleigh cycle factory. Four years later he joined the RAF where he became a wireless operator. At 21 he was pensioned off from the RAF as he was ill with tuberculosis, and after this he spent the next seven years in France and Spain. His first novel about a young factory worker was published in 1958, titled Saturday night and Sunday Morning, and this became a best seller. It was produced as a film in 1960, for which he wrote the screenplay. With the success of this novel and film, Alan Sillitoe became known as another of England’s angry young men, joining playwright John Osborne and writer John Braine. He went on to write numerous novels, essays, poetry, plays, translations and some children’s books. He also wrote another three screenplays, the most successful was The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner based on his short story and released in 1962.

His last novel titled A Man of His Time was published in 2005.

Sources: Guardian, Wikipedia

Dick Francis, the prolific crime writer has died aged 89. He was one of the most popular crime novelists, with all his novels based in and around the horse-racing sport. The son of a jockey and stable manager, after leaving the RAF in 1946 he became a much celebrated winning jockey. From 1953 to 1957 he was jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. After a serious fall he retired and began a sixteen year career as a racing correspondent for the Sunday Express. His first novel Dead Cert was published in 1962 and was an instant success, from then 39 other crime novels followed and one collection of short stories. Whip Hand published in 1979 was the Edgar Award Gold Dagger winner and Come to Grief published in 1995 was another Edgar Award winner. His last three novels were co-written with his son Felix Francis, the most recent being Even Money.

Sources: BBC, Wikipedia