Villa At the Edge of the Empire, The

One Hundred Ways to Read a City

Fiona Farrell

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English

Vintage New Zealand
24 June 2015

Australasian & Pacific history; Social impact of disasters

A provocative and insightful exploration of rebuilding our homes, communities and cities after their devastation.

A provocative and insightful exploration of rebuilding our homes, communities and cities after their devastation.

Where are we? How did we get here? Where do we go now?

From nineteenth-century attempts to create Utopias to America's rustbelt, from Darwin's study of worms to China's phantom cities, this work ranges widely through history and around the world. It examines the evolution of cities and of Christchurch in particular, looking at its swampy origins and its present reconstruction following the recent destructive earthquakes. And it takes us to L'Aquila in Italy to observe another shaken city.

Farrell writes as a citizen caught up in a devastated city in an era when political ideology has transformed the citizen to 'an asset, the raw material on which . . . empire makes its profit'. In a hundred tiny pieces, she comments on contentious issues, such as the fate of a cathedral, the closure of schools, the role of insurers, the plans for civic venues. Through personal observation, conversations with friends, a close reading of everything from the daily newspaper to records of other upheavals in Pompeii and Berlin, this dazzling book explores community, the love of place and, ultimately, regeneration and renewal.

By: Fiona Farrell
Imprint: Vintage New Zealand
Country of Publication: New Zealand
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 155mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 488g
ISBN: 9781775537519
ISBN 10: 177553751X
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 24 June 2015
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Fiona Farrell is one of New Zealand's leading writers. Born in Oamaru and educated at the universities of Otago and Toronto, she has published volumes of poetry, collections of short stories, non-fiction works, and many novels. Her first novel, The Skinny Louie Book, won the 1993 New Zealand Book Award for fiction. Other novels, poetry and non-fiction books have been shortlisted for the Montana and New Zealand Post Book Awards with four novels also nominated for the International Dublin IMPAC Award. In 2007 she received the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction, and in 2012 was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature. The Broken Book, a book of essays relating to the Christchurch earthquakes, was shortlisted for the non-fiction award in the 2012 Book Awards and critically greeted as the 'first major artwork' to emerge from the event. The Villa at the Edge of the Empire was also shortlisted for this award in 2016. Her work, which The New Zealand Herald has praised for its 'richness - of both theme and language', has been published around the world, including in the US, France and the UK. Beryl Fletcher praised Farrell for having '. . . the rare ability of turning the mundane events of domestic life into profound human experiences. Her writing is poetic, moving and literary.'