Author(s): Maurice Gee

NZ non-fiction

When someone says the word 'kitchen' I get an instant flash of that room, with its black stove and drying rack, its brown lino, its worn mat and wooden table, the Philco radio on the mantelpiece. And 'creek' works in a similar way. These are things that can start me writing.... Widely regarded as one of New Zealand's greatest fiction writers, Maurice Gee has written virtually no non-fiction. The exceptions are the two exquisite childhood reminiscences combined here into a memoir. Gee's description of childhood and family life in West Auckland offers illuminating insights into some of the creative forces that have driven his writing.