Civilisation: Twenty Places At The Edge Of The World

Description

Steve Braunias travels off the grid to capture weird and wonderful goings-on in small-town New Zealand. Full of fascinating - and sometimes disturbing - stories about people living in 20 places - from Kawakawa to Mosgiel, and across the seas in Samoa and Antarctica - their lives, loves, aspirations, and sometimes dark secrets. Searing insights and honesty from New Zealand's most awarded journalist - this book will be talked about!

Steve Braunias has won over 20 journalism awards, a Montana Book Award, fellowships to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship. He is a frequent speaker at writers' and readers' festivals, editor-in-residence at Wintec School of Media Arts, Hamilton, and writer for many primetime TV series. He was also a regular panellist on TVNZ7's The Good Word. This is his sixth book.

WINNER, 2013 NEW ZEALAND POST BOOK AWARD FOR NON-FICTION 'An exceptional New Zealand book, beloved by us all ... In print, as in person, Braunias gives the impression of casual ease, but there is nothing casual or easy about writing this good' - Judges' Report, 2013 New Zealand Post Book Awards "The secret to the success of Civilisation is that the author didn't set out to celebrate anything. He chose simply to listen and to observe. ... It's a kind of rough music and he plays it by ear, note-perfect' - John McCrystal, Canvas: The New Zealand Herald 'Like a superior form of travel writing, Braunias's 20 essays take us to mostly overlooked New Zealand places ... Grim comedy mixes with genuine human warmth' - Phillip Matthews, Your Weekend: The Dominion Post & The Press 'Sharp, brimming with wit, and thoroughly entertaining' - Ben Sanders, author of Only the Dead, in Herald On Sunday 'This is one of those books that, as you read it, you keep thinking how much you love it. ... Buy it for (almost) everyone you know' - Linda Burgess, New Zealand Books 'A keenly attuned sense of self-awareness and acerbic wit underlie the gravity of Braunias's largely empathetic (and brutally honest) reflections on New Zealand' - Gillian Terzis, The Australian 'Steve Braunias is back with his inimitable wit and wisdom. Kooky, unexpected, funny and warm, this delightful book demonstrates Braunias's particular eye for the unusual tale' - Time Out Bookstore 'Steve Braunias is an entertaining writer and this book offers plenty of insight and amusement' - Caroline Harker, Wanaka Sun 'A read that is in equal parts challenging, funny and provocative. ... Along with the laughs there is a good dose of social commentary that is at times uncomfortable but always entertaining' - Jillian Allison-Aitken, The Southland Times 'Once I started reading this extraordinary book, I found it hard to put it down' - Christine Frayling, We Love Books, Booksellers New Zealand Blog