Up here on the hill

by Bub Bridger

Bub Bridger lives on a hill overlooking Wellington airport. 'I live there,' she says, 'because I live high in the sun with breathtaking views of the sea and the hills and the sky...'

She did not begin writing poetry until she was 60, when a visit to Ireland changed her life. 'I started to think poetry. It was the most incredible experience. I came home to New Zealand and I couldn't get it down fast enough and I haven't stopped.'

In this, her first collection, the reader will discover poems that sing with rhythm and the lilt of Ireland, poems as 'bold as brass' that face life head on with an irrepressible joy and vigour. There are quiet moments too, but even here humour, resilience and generosity of spirit always shine through. Above all, there is colour, vivid colour. And the dreams are dreams one can touch.

Genres: Poetry

36 pages

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Maria Elmvang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Bub Bridger more than 10 years ago, and immediately fell in love with her poetry. I've been looking for this collection ever since, but without any luck until I finally stumbled across it second hand just last month.

It was well worth the wait. My favourite is still Blatant Resistance, but all her poems seem to have the same vibrancy and zest for life.