Full Description
David Mitchell was one of NZ's great poetic characters from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s: poet, lover, political activist, cricketer, impresario, mysterium and, to some, an all-round pain in the arse. Steal Away Boy, re-introduces Mitchell to a new generation and collects widely scattered poems in book form for the first time. A great partisan of poetry in performance, Mitchell initiated readings in various Auckland hotels and was a participant in the famous readings at the Barry Lett Gallery. In 1972 Mitchell's only full-length collection, Pipe Dreams in Ponsonby, was published and became an instant classic, selling thousands of copies in two editions. It broke new ground and won a Commonwealth literary prize. David Mitchell supports the Steal Away Boy project and his private papers and manuscripts have been made available to Edmond and Roberts by his daughter.
Contents
Introduction -- 1. The Singing Breadin Ponsonby: New Zealand, 1965-72 -- 3. Myths of Wolloomooloo: Australia, late 1960s/early 1970s -- 4. Menton: Europe, 1975 -- 5. State of the Nation/ Poetry Live: New Zealand, late 1970s/early 1980s -- 6. The Cold Wind It Blows: Auckland/Wellington: 1980s/1990s -- 7. Happy as a Sandboy: Bronte, Sydney: 2008-9 -- Notes -- Indexes.
