In this interview with arts critic Hamish Keith, C. K. Stead outlines the political and social factors that influenced his decision to become a writer of fiction, and contributed to the writing of his first novel, Smith's dream. The authoritarian response of the government during the 1951 waterfront dispute and Stead's feelings of alienation from what he described as 'middle New Zealand' made writers and other arts practitioners attractive to him, because they criticised political decisions and social mores.
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Courtesy of Cultural Icons
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