Collected Poems

Ruth Dallas

To Ruth Dallas, words are as much a part of the natural world as are beech trees, seashells and mountains. It is no accident, therefore, that much of her work should be rooted in the New Zealand landscape, reflecting its rhythms, seasons, its benevolence and its harshness, and its effect on men and women.

But her interests range beyond the land and the history of its settlement, as much of her work has been influenced by her response to Chinese poetry and thought. Always, though, there has been an emphasis on the musical qualities of poetry: this aspect, more than any other, has established Ruth Dallas as one the New Zealand's most distinguished and best-loved poets.

About the Author

Ruth Dallas was born in Invercargill in 1919, and first published her poems in The Southland Times in 1946. She is the author of several books of poetry and also of novels for children. She has received a number of literary awards, including the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry in 1977 for her fifth collection, Walking on the Snow. Her Collected Poems was published in 1987. She has held the Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago and is an honorary Doctor of Literature of the same university.

Publication Details

Poetry
ISBN 1 877133 86 8, paperback, 210 x 140 mm, 204 pp, $29.95
Release May 2000