Foolish

Our painters, musicians and actors, said Mr Cross, had been given a fair measure of this local standard of criticism—they had received favourable criticism in New Zealand which they would not have received elsewhere.

"The pattern for them is: considerable support and warmth for their efforts within New Zealand, a flat rejection or much harsher judgment overseas. With our novelists, this pattern is almost Invariably reversed. . .

"In spite of my rather flippant opening remarks . . . about the difficulties confronting the New Zealand novelist, I believe that the aspiring New Zealand writer would be foolish to even wish to exchange situations or nationality with any other hopeful writer on earth. . . We can be of no value to ourselves or the world except as New Zealanders; the only thing of real value we have to offer the world is our unique vision of life from this point of the globe. So much of that vision is yet unrealised and to capture even part of it is the great incentive—the great challenge—for the New Zealand writer."

—Critic, N.Z.U.P.C.