The Wilder Years
What is invariably terrific in Eggleton’s poetry is not only the relish of his attack, but the flash of lyric underwing colour as he dives on his prey. – Ian Wedde
David Eggleton, Poet Laureate of Aotearoa 2019–21, has published nine poetry collections, and now, finally, comes a ‘Best Of ‘.
The Wilder Years: Selected Poems is a hardback compendium of the poet’s own selection from 35 years of published work, together with a handful of new poems.
Cover art by: Nigel Brown.
- Review: Anne Kennedy for ANZL
- Review: Michael Steven for kete
- Review: Liz Breslin for 1964
- Review: Hamish Wyatt for the Otago Daily Times
About David Eggleton's poetry:
Eggleton's word-blasts remain consistently gratifying. His poetry's ... endlessly imaginative, it's funny, [and] intellectually rewarding … Every poem is a snapshot of the culture in action. – Nick Ascroft
Vital, elastic, expertly handled language in a Pacific voice of cultural and musical sensibility, poetry to be spoken aloud or in-the-mind. – Cilla McQueen
… vivid, fizzy and smart. – Grant Smitthies
David Eggleton
David Eggleton (Rotuman Fijian/Tongan/Pākehā) has published ten previous poetry collections. He is a six-time winner of the Montana Reviewer of the Year, and a former Robert Burns Fellow at the University of Otago. He received the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in poetry in 2016, the same year that The Conch Trumpet won the Poetry Award at the 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. From 2009–17, Eggleton was editor of Landfall. He received the 2018 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers’ Residency and served as the New Zealand Poet Laureate 2019–22.
More About David Eggleton
Edgeland and other poems 
Time of the Icebergs 
Respirator 
The Conch Trumpet