Answering Hark

Description

THIS TITLE IS NOW OUT OF PRINT.

Answering Hark records the friendship and artistic collaboration between New Zealand’s pre-eminent painter, Colin McCahon (1919-87) and the poet John Caselberg (born 1927). Over several decades McCahon and Caselberg collaborated on a succession of remarkable works which brought together words and images in a unique fusion. Caselberg supplied text for McCahon’s paintings, drawings and lithographs, while McCahon provided images for Caselberg’s poems, plays and books, each becoming for the other a crucial vehicle of communication and response.

Answering Hark, which is based on a touring exhibition of the same name, tells the story of this extraordinary collaboration. Drawing mainly on the rich archival resources of the Hocken Library in Dunedin, the book fully documents the story with letters, manuscripts, poems, paintings, drawings, lithographs and photographs.

This moving book is essential reading for anyone interested in the cultural heritage of New Zealand, in the process of creative collaboration, and in the work of Colin McCahon and John Caselberg.

about the author

Peter Simpson was born in Takaka in 1942 and educated at Nelson College and at the universities of Canterbury (M.A.) and Toronto (Ph.D). Since the 1960s he has taught at universities in New Zealand (Massey, Canterbury) and Canada (Toronto, Carleton in Ottawa); he is currently Associate Professor of English at The University of Auckland. From 1987 to 1990 he was Labour MP for Lyttleton.

He has published widely on New Zealand art, culture and literature. He is the author of Ronald Hugh Morrieson (OUP, 1982), and has edited numerous books, and curated several exhibitions including Candles in a Dark Room: James K. Baxter and Colin McCahon (Auckland Art Gallery, 1996), Answering Hark: McCahon/Caselberg: Painter/Poet (Hocken Library, 1999) and Rita Angus & Leo Bensemann: The Cambridge Terrace Years (Hocken Library, 2000).

He is an art writer for the Sunday Star-Times and Art New Zealand. He lives in Auckland with his wife Helen; they have two adult children.