A Search for Tradition and a Search for a Language

‘Unsurprisingly, Douglas Lilburn doesn’t date – his ideas are as fresh and pertinent now as when he wrote these lectures. And he knows that audiences matter as much as writers, artists and musicians. He is especially good on heritage and future, on the need for wonder and imaginative awe, and on the sheer hard work involved when artists decide to speak for themselves. He is also alert to the tricky negotiations New Zealanders need to manage between the local and the global. Above all, he shows us not only how to stand upright, but also how to dance around a little.’ —Bill Manhire 

‘From across a lifetime, Douglas Lilburn speaks that unpalatable but illuminating truth that, if we are to be comfortable in our cultural skins, we must grow them for ourselves and nobody other than us can truly celebrate in them.’ —Hamish Keith

Douglas Lilburn (1915–2001) was an influential New Zealand composer and music teacher. Among his numerous awards are an honorary doctorate of music from the University of Otago in 1969 and New Zealand’s highest honour, the Order of New Zealand, in 1988.