It's What He Would've Wanted
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
It's What He Would've Wanted
By (Author) Nick Ascroft
Te Herenga Waka University Press
Te Herenga Waka University Press
10th September 2025
New Zealand
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Modern and contemporary poetry (c 1900 onwards)
Poetry by individual poets
Physical Properties
Paperback
88
Width 138mm, Height 210mm, Spine 6mm
Description
What would he have wanted As little fuss as possible.
But, reading between the lines: a little help. All the latest gossip and complaints. An arse that is not wrong. Opulence. One leap from the rope ladder. The final word.
Its What He Wouldve Wanted is the sixth book of poetry from the author of the acclaimed The Stupefying (the very best book of poetry of 2022 said Newsroom).
In this hilarious and affecting new work, Nick Ascroft writes of lost friends, new frailties, new braveries, and being stuck in an organ pipe during recital and not wanting to bother anyone about it. Yes, there are poems of cycling into dead-end utility holes but also poems of trembling resolve and arriving at work as aged as the night sky after completing the morning school drop-off. This is the best collection yet by one of the most exciting and mercurial poets writing in Aotearoa today.
Reviews
Ascrofts poetry is a galactic nebula, brightly lit and sparkling with colour. Victor Billot
Fellas, the book is . . . good. Ascrofts poems are unsanctimonious, witty, deeply humane comments on the compromises that comprise life, the bargains we make with ourselves, each other, and our egos and neuroses to get through the day. Rebecca Hawkes
'Nick Ascroft is a wonderfully adroit poet . . . Theyre not always an easy read, these poems, but theyre always a rewarding one. Harry Ricketts, RNZ
'Its the personal poems that really take up the scalpel, examining with a careful detachment and irony. The generosity and hope swimming throughout these is especially appealing.' Erica Stretton, Kete Books
Author Bio
Nick Ascroftis the author of five previous poetry collections with Te Herenga Waka University Press. He has nearly won the Kathleen Grattan Prize four times, the most anyone has nearly won it. Living in Wellington, he is a public servant advising on digital publishing (and indoor soccer). He was on the New Zealand team taking on Australia in the 2022 Scrabble Trans-Tasman. His two most recent poetry collections are The Stupefying (2022) and It's What He Would've Wanted (2025).
