Leo Bensemann, Portrait of Denis Glover, oil on canvas board, Collection of Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.
Denis Glover’s poems are some of the most enduring in New Zealand’s literary tradition. “And Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle” from The Magpies is probably the country’s best known line of poetry.
But there was more to Denis Glover than just poetry. He established the first independent literary press, The Caxton Press, in his hometown of Christchurch – a press that published some of the finest writers in Aotearoa. The Caxton Press published Janet Frame’s first novel among other literary gems.
This documentary directed by Bill de Friez, takes a candid look at the Denis Glover, revealing a larger than life figure, who was connected to all the literary personalities of his day, and whose legacy to literature in both Ōtautahi and New Zealand cannot be understated.
with thanks to NZ On Screen.
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