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Rangatira

Paula Morris

$24.99

Paperback

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English
Penguin Books NZ Ltd
31 October 2011
A Maori elder retreats deep into his past, reflecting on Old New Zealand andthe historic trip to visit Queen Victoria.

Based on a true story

Auckland, June 1886.

Ngati Wai chief Paratene Te Manu spends long sessions, over three long days, having his portrait painted by the Bohemian painter Gottfried Lindauer. Hearing of Lindauer's planned trip to England reminds him of his own journey there, twenty years earlier, with a party of northern rangatira. As he sits for Lindauer, Paratene retreats deeper and deeper into the past, from the triumphs in London and their meetings with royalty to the disintegration of the visit into poverty, mistrust, and humiliation.

'Morris' research is both thorough and thoughtful . . . With its light, often wry tone, much of the story-telling is amusing, albeit desperately poignant.'

-Margie Thomson, Canvas

'An extraordinary literary achievementand probably the best of recent NewZealandhistorical novels.'

-Nicholas Reid, New Zealand Books

' An

adroitly told historical novel . . . Paratene - old, forgetful but wise and generous in his appraisals - is our lens, and he's a triumph of characterisation, his voice genial and flawlessly authentic.'

-John McCrystal, New Zealand Listener

Also available as an eBook
By:  
Imprint:   Penguin Books NZ Ltd
Country of Publication:   New Zealand
Dimensions:   Height: 199mm,  Width: 132mm,  Spine: 21mm
Weight:   286g
ISBN:   9780143565758
ISBN 10:   0143565753
Pages:   304
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Paula Morris is the author of four works of fiction published by Penguin Group (NZ): the novels Queen of Beauty (2002), Hibiscus Coast (2005), Trendy But Casual (2007), and the short-story collection Forbidden Cities (2008). She was also the editor of The Penguin Book of Contemporary New Zealand Short Stories (2009). Paula has worked in London and New York, first as a publicist and marketing executive in the record business, and later as a branding consultant and advertising copywriter. Since 2003 she's taught creative writing at universities - most recently as a Teaching Fellow at Iowa State University, at Tulane University in New Orleans, and at the University of Stirling in Scotland, where she's currently based.

  • Shortlisted for New Zealand Post Book Awards: Fiction 2012.
  • Winner of New Zealand Post Book Awards: Fiction 2012
  • Winner of New Zealand Post Book Awards: Fiction 2012.

See Also