New Sargeson mix has 13 rare stories

When I cut my teeth on Frank Sargeson's work in the late 1970s, he was seen as the first authentic voice of New Zealand literature. I was therefore surprised to realise how long he has been out of print.

Frank Sargeson's Stories
Ed. Janet Wilson
Cape Catley, $47.99, pbk

Review by Gavin McLean.

I was also surprised to see how much his language had dated.

An eight-page glossary by editor Janet Wilson explains phrases and words from my parents' generation such as "bust your boiler", "cry off the booze" and "barney" to the under-40s.

I guess that in a few decades "iPod" and "get with the programme" will probably need similar treatment.

So why would you donate your old Blackwood & Paul, Longman or Penguin paperback to the next Regent book sale and buy Janet Wilson's edition of Frank Sargeson's Stories?

Well, for the introduction, the back matter (including tributes and reminiscences from other writers) and for 13 previously uncollected pieces. The newcomers aren't stellar, but they round out a well-printed volume.

The other reason is simply the quality of the writing. Michael King's biography threw new light on Sargeson and explained much of the darkness I detected 30 years ago, but even if Sargeson has slid a little down the canonical rankings, there's no doubt he caught the New Zealand of the Slump and the immediate postwar years.