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From master storyteller Witi Ihimaera, a spellbinding and provocative retelling of traditional Maori myths for the twenty-first century. In this milestone volume, Ihimaera traces the history of the Maori people through their creation myths. He follows Tawhaki up the vines into th...e firmament, Hine-titama down into the land of the dead, Maui to the ends of the earth, and the giants and turehu who sailed across the ocean to our shores . . . From Hawaiki to Aotearoa, the ancient navigators brought their myths, while looking to the stars - bright with gods, ancestors and stories - to guide the way. 'Step through the gateway now to stories that are as relevant today as they ever were.' Read more
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Witi Ihimaera's timeless story tells how the courage of one girl in standing against the tide of tradition enables her tribe to become reconnected with their ancestral life force.
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From the author of The Whale Rider, an intriguing novella about the nature of identity, together with its screenplay and many extras. A medicine woman a giver of life is asked to hide a secret that may protect a position in society, but could have fatal consequences. She is the h...ealer and midwife of her rural tribe, but new laws are in force prohibiting unlicensed healers. When she is approached by the servant of a wealthy woman, who seeks her assistance, three very different women become players in a head-on clash of beliefs, deception and ultimate salvation. Newly rewritten, this novella, along with its screenplay and notes by the author, producer and director, as well as stills from the accompanying film, offers a rich and intriguing package. Read more
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There has never been a New Zealand novel quite like The Parihaka Woman. Richly imaginative and original, weaving together fact and fiction, it sets the remarkable story of Erenora against the historical background of the turbulent and compelling events that occurred in Parihaka d...uring the 1870s and 1880s. Parihaka is the place Erenora calls home, a peaceful Taranaki settlement overcome by war and land confiscation. As her world is threatened, Erenora must find within herself the strength, courage and ingenuity to protect those whom she loves. And, like a Shakespearean heroine, she must change herself before she can take up her greatest challenge and save her exiled husband, Horitana. Surprising, inventive and deeply moving, The Parihaka Woman confirms Witi Ihimaera as one of New Zealand's finest and most memorable storytellers. Always surprising and inventive, THE PARIHAKA WOMAN reveals a working writer constantly extending his range and humanity, continuing his exploration into the history of New Zealand and working at its intersections with fiction. It affirms Ihimaera's place in New Zealand literature as one of our finest technicians and storytellers. Read more
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In The Thrill of Falling, Witi Ihimaera continues his exploration of the novella and the long story begun in his last collection, Ask The Posts of the House (2007) with a new set of intriguing narratives: urban fiction in 'Maggie Dawn'; contemporary comedy in 'We'll Always Have P...aris'; the science fiction novella in 'Purity of Ice'; the new genre of conservation fiction in 'Orbis Terrarium'; the different ways of telling history in the title story; and an adaptation into novella, 'One More Night', of Albert Belz's play, Whero's New Net, which itself was adapted from stories in Ihimaera's second short story collection, The New Net Goes Fishing (1976). The ideas continue to affirm Ihimaera's place in New Zealand literature as one of our finest storytellers. Read more
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Witi Ihimaeras beautiful story is now a stunning picture book. It tells the tale of Kahu, the first great-grandchild of the whanau, loved by all her relatives except one whose love she needed most her great-grandfather.
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This anniversary edition of Witi Ihimaera's Pounamu, Pounamu celebrates the 40th year in print of one of New Zealand's most seminal works of fiction. When Pounamu, Pounamu was published in 1972, it was a landmark occasion for New Zealand literature in many ways. It was the first ...work of fiction published by a Maori writer, it was the first collection of short stories that looked at contemporary Maori life and it launched the career of on of New Zealand's best-known authors. The Pounamu, Pounamu 40th Anniversary Edition is a beautiful hardback collector's volume. It features a foreword by Dame Fiona Kidman and a commentary by Witi Ihimaera on each of the stories. In these author's notes Witi looks back to events from his own childhood that inspired Pounamu, Pounamu and the experience of writing and launching the book as a young man in the early '70s. Read more
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David Munro has everything, a beautiful wife, two adoring daughters, a first class job and a circle of devoted friends. He also has another life, lived mainly at night and frequently in what he comes to know as 'the Gardens of Spain' where gay and bisexual men meet. This is the s...tory of his two lives. Read more
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The matriarch is a woman of intelligence, wit, beauty and ruthlessness, and has become a mythical figure through her fight to repossess the land and sustain her people against the ravages wrought by the Pakeha. Priestess of the Ringatu faith, she has been virtually a law unto her...self. In his search for the truth behind the legends surrounding the matriarch, his grandmother, Tama Mahana delves deeper and deeper into Maori history and lore to understand the mysterious sources of her power and ambition. Witi Ihimaera's prose is at turns lyrical and spare, sensuous and savage. Weaving fact with fiction, this remarkable odyssey into New Zealand history is a novel of stunning imaginative power. Read more
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A mystical story of Maori culture The birth of a daughter - Kahu - breaks the lineage of a Maori tribe. Rejected by her grandfather, Kahu develops the ability to communicate with whales, echoing those of the ancient Whale Rider after whom she was named. This magical and mythical ...novel tells of the conflict between tradition and heritage, from the perspective of Kahu's grandfather, and Kahu's destiny to secure the tribe's future. Age 11+ Ideal for studying multi-cultural texts, gender and environmental issues. The beautifully poetic style and twin narrative lends itself to the analysis of language. To automatically receive all the latest news on New Windmills, why not sign-up for our Heinemann Literature eNewsletter? Read more
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