PETER BLAND was born in Yorkshire in 1934. He emigrated from the UK
to New Zealand in 1954 and began work with the NZBC to establish some
of New Zealand’s first arts and social commentary programmes.
He was a co-founder of Wellington’s Downstage Theatre and its
artistic director from 1964-68. He was associated with the Wellington
group of poets and a close friend of James K Baxter, Louis Johnson and
Alistair Campbell and his first substantial collection of verse, My
Side of the Story, was published in 1964.
Since the early 70s, Peter has divided his time between England and
New Zealand and travelled widely as an international jobbing actor for
stage and screen. In the 70s and 80s Peter appeared in numerous West
End comedies, as a guest artist on many UK television programmes, and
at the Bristol Old Vic, the Chichester Festival Theatre and The Palladium.
His books of verse have appeared regularly and his Selected Poems
was published by Carcanet in the UK in 1998. Last year two volumes came
from Steele Roberts, Wellington: Let’s Meet, Poems 1985-2000
and Ports of Call. Recently, he has been poetry reviewer for
the New Zealand Listener.
Bland comments: ‘ “X-Ray” was written following a
medical check-up, which included a full-body X-Ray. Studying the picture
of this other person I felt as if I’d been playing host to some
secret self who had uncomplainingly supported me for years. I sensed
both an intimate relationship and a design-structure that I shared with
the whole of humanity. The poem sprang from the ambiguities and insight
of these feelings. I was delighted to discover, following publication
in the New Zealand Listener, that someone had pinned it to
the hospital notice-board. It’s rare for a poem to find such an
appropriate place in the “real” world.’
Poem: X-Ray
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