Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop- publisher and bookshop

Has made a colourful contribution to the literary scene in three cities.

* From The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature

Author entry from The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, edited by Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie (1998). About the Companion entries View list of Companion contributors

O’LEARY, Michael (1950– ), publisher, poet, novelist, performer and bookshop proprietor, has made a colourful contribution to the literary scene in three cities.

Born in Auckland, he was educated at the universities of Auckland and Otago, and now lives in Wellington. Under his Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop imprint he has published his own prolific output as well as various other writers, both alternative and mainstream. His works include Surrogate Children (poems, 1981), Ten Sonnets (1985), Straight (novel, 1985), Out of It (satirical novel, 1987), Before and After (1987), Livin’ ina Aucklan’ (1988) and The Irish Annals of New Zealand (1991). He has also written commissioned histories of two Auckland cemeteries, and edited Wrapper (1992), a collection of poems by both new and established poets. His work has appeared in *Pilgrims, Te *Ao Marama and elsewhere.

O’Leary’s poetry and novels explore his Maori (Te Arawa)–Irish Catholic heritage, the poetry more conventionally, the prose in an alternative vein which owes something to Joyce and Beckett.

Updated Information

Unlevel Crossings (2002) is a novel about Patrick Mika Fitzgerald who embarks on a physical and psychological train journey. O'Leary's rhythmic prose, wordplay and multilingual puns are described as providing a Maori-modernist take on Aotearoa New Zealand.

Toku Tinihanga (Self Deception) (2003) is the selected poems of Michael O'Leary, spanning twenty years.

In 2004, Michael O'Leary co-edited with Mark Pirie, JAAM 21 Greatest Hits: an anthology of writing from 1984-2004, drawing on work included in HeadworX and Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop publications as well as retrospective material from the first 20 issues of JAAM magazine.

The case of the bearded man in Paekakariki
by Hedley Mortlock

FLESH AND BLOOD, by John Harvey (Heinemann, $45); DEATH AT LA FENICE, by Donna Leon (Heinemann, $59.95); COPYCAT, by Gillian White (Corgi, $22.95).

About two years ago, following a publisher's promotional tour of New Zealand, John Harvey walked unannounced into Michael O'Leary's bookshop in Paekakariki. As you do, the pair got taking about books and established that they were writers. At some point Harvey graciously forked out for O'Leary's most recent novel, A Level Crossing, and presented him with a copy of one of his own works. The connection did not end there.

O'Leary has been given a cameo in Flesh and Blood, in which the mystery of a missing Yorkshire woman is solved at Paekakariki Beach. O'Leary is described in the book as a bearded man with long grey hair who was "singing contentedly to himself, something slow and old by the Rolling Stones". I asked O'Leary if this was true. He says, "Yeah, could have been, and the song would have been 'Wild Horses'.''

O'Leary admits that he had never heard of Harvey or his books until their chance meeting, but the Englishman is a distinguished all-rounder from way back. He is the author, under various names, of more than 70 books, including cheap westerns, has written and published others' poetry, done radio and television plays, and lectured in American literature. He is best known for his series on Charlie Resnick, the downbeat Nottingham detective, who like O'Leary gets a sentimental walk-on part in Flesh and Blood.

List of Publications

Poetry

Flipside to the Ballad of John and Yoko
Surrogate Children (with Sandra Bell/Brian Hare)
Ten Sonnets, Myths and Legends of Love
Undiscovered Voyage (with Litia F. Alaelua)
Livin' ina Aucklan' (with illustration by John Pule)
Before and After
Shake Speer's Faith
Con Art: Selected Poems
Ka Atu I Koopua - Out of the Deep
He Waiatanui kia Aroha
T.A.B. Ula Rasa
Toku Tinihanga (Self Deception) (Headworx Publishing, 2003)

Fiction

Straight
Out of It
The Irish Annals of New Zealand
Noa/Nothing I
Unlevel Crossings

As Editor

Wrapper
JAAM 21 (JAAM in Association with HeadworX Publishers and ESAW, 2004)

Non-fiction

Literary Criticism

Michael O'Leary, founded the Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop (ESAW) in 1984 with the aim of publishing works by New Zealand writers who would not normally be picked up by the more established literary presses. In 1999 O'Leary wrote an MA thesis which studied the recent history of Small Presses in NZ. He is also a trustee for the Poetry Archive of New Zealand Aotearoa (PANZA), a charitable trust dedicated to the archiving, collecting and promoting New Zealand Poetry. PANZA and ESAW work closely together and one of our aims is to set up a data-base of all poetry published in NZ. We also intend to publish poetry which is not commercially viable, but which is culturally important such as Dr. Niel Wright's epic poem of over 500 books, The Alexandrians. We also would like to add to our already extensive library of NZ poetry as originally published, as well as fund a secure place for these to be kept and used as a resource for study purposes. We are interested in hearing from any "Cultural Philanthropists" who would be willing to help provide funding for these important ambitions to preserve and promote poetry as a taonga (treasure) and an 'un-official history' of New Zealand Aotearoa. If you would like to donate anonymously or otherwise, either from within NZ or from overseas, please send cheques to either Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop (for publishing) or Poetry Archive of New Zealand Aotearoa (for funding data-base, purchase of books, renting and staffing premises etc). The address is the same for both enterprises: