With New Zealand the guest of honour at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair (and, yes, that official site doesn't quite measure up to last year's Fabulous Iceland (which is still worth visiting)) there will be considerable mention and discussion of Kiwi literature in the coming months.
At Stuff.co.nz they get a bit introspective, as Sophie Speer wonders What's so wrong with NZ fiction ? as she finds that: 'Kiwis love NZ books, but they're not popular' (a not uncommon national-literature problem).
Among the statistics:
There's not that much New Zealand fiction under review at the complete review, but at least there's a bit.
At Stuff.co.nz they get a bit introspective, as Sophie Speer wonders What's so wrong with NZ fiction ? as she finds that: 'Kiwis love NZ books, but they're not popular' (a not uncommon national-literature problem).
Among the statistics:
According to Nielsen BookScan, fiction -- both New Zealand-published and international titles -- comprised 24 per cent of the book market last year, and New Zealand- published fiction accounted for 4 per cent of that.The piece seems to rely greatly on Pia White's study, 'What's wrong with New Zealand novels ?' An exploration of reader attitudes towards New Zealand fiction (warning ! dreaded pdf format !). Interesting reading -- though even though she does briefly discuss the 'Underrepresentation of male readers' in her survey the numbers seem to me truly problematic: 86% of the respondents were women (compared to a 2002 book buying population estimated at 58% female), which surely does more than just skew the results.
There's not that much New Zealand fiction under review at the complete review, but at least there's a bit.