New Zealand Poetry in 1990 (Essay‪)‬

A busy publishing year for New Zealand verse, 1990 saw over thirty new titles in print. These included an outstanding first collection, the last poems of a major figure in the development of New Zealand poetry, major retrospective collections from two other leading poets (one living, one not), an average crop of new books from established writers, and at least four good examples of that relatively rare entity, the extended poem or sequence on a theme of substance. A longstanding periodical outlet for verse was lost, while a promising new poetry journal began. One new work, justly acclaimed, broke significant new ground in New Zealand letters. The maiden collection of particular note came from Robert Sullivan of Auckland, who proclaimed his arrival with the opening poem ('So, not a dedication yet') of his Jazz Waiata (Auckland University Press):