Raiment: A Memoir

By Jan Kemp

A frank and vivid memoir of a pioneering New Zealand poet's formative years.

Jan Kemp's Raiment offers a clear-eyed account of growing up in 1950s Waikato and navigating university life in Auckland during the late 1960s and early 1970s. From an innocent childhood to the seedy flats of Auckland, Kemp's journey reveals the challenges of anarchic student life, sexual experimentation, and a failing marriage. Yet, through it all, her passion for poetry endures, leading her to become one of the few young women poets welcomed into the male-dominated literary circles of the time.

Raiment weaves a rich tapestry of personal experiences, shining a light on the hedonistic hothouse of New Zealand's literary community and exploring what it truly meant to be an independent woman in a rapidly changing world. For readers interested in New Zealand history, women's studies, and the power of artistic expression.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1991151144
• ISBN13: 9781991151148
• Release Date: April 2022
• Publisher: Massey University
• Length: 256 Pages