My Father's Island - by Adam Dudding
Adam and Robin Dudding, 1980 Photo: Supplied
Winner of the E.H. McCormick Best First Book Award for General Non-Fiction 2017
In the 1970s, on the smell of an oily rag, Robin Dudding published New Zealand's finest literary journal from a suburban Auckland house overflowing with books, long-haired children and chickens.
After Robin's death, his son journalist Adam Dudding went in search of the stories and secrets of his brilliant, eccentric father - a loving parent and husband but also a tormented, controlling and at times cruel man.
Listen to Adam Dudding's conversation with Kim Hill about his father here.
Credits:
Adapted for RNZ by Carol Dee
Produced by Duncan Smith
Written and told by Adam Dudding
Published by VUP (Victoria University Press)
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My Father's Island - Ep 1
2 Jul 2018When Adam Dudding attends his father's funeral he finds himself driven to better understand this brilliant, eccentric man. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 2
3 Jul 2018The Dudding family shift to Christchurch where Robin has secured the position as editor at Caxton Press and of Landfall magazine. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 3
4 Jul 2018Adam starts digging into his father's childhood looking for clues about who and what shaped him. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 4
5 Jul 2018We hear about how Robin Dudding first meets Lois and about his first foray into publishing. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 5
6 Jul 2018A number of NZ's best known writers were published and nurtured by Robin Dudding early in their careers. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 6
9 Jul 2018Robin's talents as a publisher are put to test when he faces the challenge of both editing Landfall and running Caxton Press. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 7
10 Jul 2018The Dudding family says goodbye to Christchurch and makes its way back to an Auckland that has undergone massive changes. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 8
11 Jul 2018Life for the long haired boy living behind the impenetrable bamboo hedge, in the house with the cruddy shower and crumby kitchen under the all seeing eye of his father. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 9
12 Jul 2018There are serious consequences for Lois, the children and for friends as Robin Dudding is consumed by severe depression. Audio
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My Father's Island - Ep 10
13 Jul 2018A glimpse into a more lovable side of the often curmudgeonly editor as time finally begins to catch up with Robin Dudding. Audio
Adam Dudding Photo: Lawrence Smith
Adam Dudding is the author of My Father's Island (VUP, 2016), which won the E.H. McCormick Best First Book Award for General Nonfiction in 2017. He is a reporter for Fairfax Media and has won numerous feature-writing awards. He lives in Auckland with his wife, two children, two dogs and no chickens.
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