Hone Tuwhare - A Biography

Godwit, 1998.

Hone Tuwhare was born in rural Northland in 1922. His early years were a chrysalis-time when he framed his view of the world and burned into memory the images and vocabulary which would characterize his writing. As he played and pondered his way into the heart of both country and city, he learned too of the inhabitants human and animal, Maori and non-Maori, woman and man, boss and worker. This biography tells of Tuwhare's life from his earliest childhood memories, through his years as a boilermaker, political activist, husband and father, to his maturity as a writer and his status as one of New Zealand's greatest literary figures. Set in locations as far afield as Bougainville, Berlin and Beijing, the book details the important influences on the man and the writer, including his close associations with many of this country's most prominent artists, such as R.A.K. Mason, James K. Baxter and Ralph Hotere. Selections of his poetry and photographs illustrate the text....