Downfall:The Destruction of Charles Mackay: The Destruction of Charles Mackay

(Paperback)

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Description

1920 New Zealanders were shocked by the news that the brilliant, well-connected mayor of genteel Whanganui had shot a young gay poet, D'Arcy Cresswell, who he thought was blackmailing him. They were then riveted by the trial that followed.

Reviews

Gripping, skilled and elegant judges comments, Ockham New Zealand Books Awards shortlist;Thoughtful and meticulously researched Victor Rodger, The Spinoff;Beautifully produced Graeme Aitken, DNA magazine;A valuable and insightful book . . . that will continue to be of value David Herkt, Canvas;A crucial New Zealand story David Herkt, Kete;Scandalous, gossipy and . . . historically revealing Jenny Nicholls, Waiheke Weekender;A magnificent act of reclamation Roger M. Smith, The National Oral History Association of New Zealand Te Kete Krero-a-Waha o Te Motu;Quite an achievement Kiran Dass, Nine to Noon;An extraordinary story Peter Dragicevich, New Zealand Herald;The definitive narrative Joan Rosier-Jones, Whanganui Chronicle;Hidden history uncovered Moana Ellis, Stuff

Author Bio

Paul Diamond (Ngati Haua, Te Rarawa, Ngapuhi) is Curator, Maori at the Alexander Turnbull Library. He is the author of A Fire in Your Belly: Maori leaders speak (Huia, 2003), Makereti: Taking Maori to the world (Random House, 2007) and Savaged to Suit: Maori and cartooning in New Zealand (Fraser Books, 2018). He has previously worked as an oral historian and broadcaster, and in 2017 he was awarded Creative New Zealands Berlin Writers Residency.