Selected Poems (VUP Classic)

Eileen Duggan’s poetry showed an undeniable lyric gift and genuine skill in the evocation of atmosphere. She began writing in the tradition of Georgian poetry, and for most of her career showed a preference for traditional forms, through which she explored in particular religious and nationalist themes. Her most mature and accomplished work, written during and immediately after World War II, was spare and austere, combining passion with intelligence. This selection, first published on the 100th anniversary of her birth, gives us the fullest picture available of this important poet.

Eileen Duggan (1894–1972) was New Zealand’s best known poet while she was writing and publishing. Peter Whiteford is a lecturer in the Victoria University of Wellington English Department.