Over the past few weeks, I have reviewed several novels and authors, and I have discussed the importance of New Zealand litetature and why reading diversly is important. I have something different for you for my last post in New Zealand Book Month – an anthology.

Curated by Penguin Random House fiction publisher Harriet Allan, The Penguin New Zealand Anthology includes 50 stories from 1973-2023 to celebrate 50 years of Penguin Random House publishing in New Zealand. This is a short story collection featuring a wide variety of authors, from well-established names to emerging writers in the New Zealand literary sphere. These stories, while delving into their own themes and characters, chart the changing narrative styles and voices over the last half century in New Zealand and provide hours of informative, enlightening, and engaging storytelling.

Short stories are a quick way to introduce a reader to a character, setting, or situation, yet the depths that a few pages can cover can often be surprising and life-altering. Short stories have the power to immerse you just as easily as a full-length novel, and so this anthology works like a time travelling machine – not only are we able to visit places throughout New Zealand, but we have the ability to journey back in time as well. Back to a time where social norms and lifestyle was different. Back to a time where cultural divides and social issues were raw in the newly published writings of the Maori Renaissance. The Penguin New Zealand Anthology provides direct access to the thoughts and feelings of a changing nation and the voices that have sprouted from the ground since.

From Patricia Grace’s And so I go (1973) to Evana Belich’s How to Get Fired (2023), the narrative structure, style, flow, and themes of New Zealand over 50 years have been collected and curated in this anthology. What stays constant, in one way or another, is the rich language, heartfelt emotion, and powerful prose of the authors who pen these stories. New Zealand’s literary prowess is proven by the diveristy of our authors and it is through anthologies and collections like this that we are able to see the wide ranging perspectives of our multicultural nation.

I implore you to pick up an anthology of New Zealand stories. From the last five years alone, there are Ko Aotearoa Tatou (2020), Monsters in the Garden (2020), A Clear Dawn (2021), Middle Distance: Long Stories of Aotearoa New Zealand (2021), Out Here: An Anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ Writers From Aotearoa (2021), The Penguin New Zealand Anthology (2023), and Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry From Aotearoa New Zealand (2023). Each anthology has its focus and its themes, so I highly recommend checking them all out and seeing which resonate with you for future reading.