Thursday, November 22, 2012

Putting Bill Manhire in his place


The latest Nielsen list of New Zealand bestsellers is out, for the week ending 17 November. Good to see my friends Maxine Alterio at #1 with Lives We Leave Behind and Brian Turner at #3 with Elemental. Hamish Clayton is at #7 with his brilliant debut novel Wulf (February 2011) and Paula Morris’s Rangatira (November 2011) is hanging in at #10. Excellent.

Best of all, Bill Manhire has been put in his place: his Selected Poems, #9, has been pipped by the new #8,  The Moderately Hungry Maggot which is the latest from, er, Bill Manhire.

I wonder if there have ever been two poetry books in the top ten before, or two books by the same author. Anyone know?

4 comments:

Vanda Symon said...

Paul Cleave had The Laughter House and Collecting Cooper in the top ten together. Can't remember the positions.

Flora Batty said...

I hope he didn't steal that sign.

Stephen Stratford said...

@Vanda, yes of course. Thanks. I have a vague idea that Jenny Pattrick might have done the same. And in non-fiction I'm sure Annabel Langbein has had two at once.

@Flora - not our Bill. He is as honest as the day is long, and the days are getting longer.

Anonymous said...

There are 2 Paul Cleave this week and 2 Witi Ihimaera. Jenny Pattrick manages it quite often.