Encounters and Collisions

It was widely reported, when he died earlier in 2020, that Gordon McLauchlan’s last book was Stop the Clock but, in fact, he was finalising details of Encounters…. and collisions until a few days before his death in January.

In 25 engaging and provocative essays, Gordon McLauchlan writes about people, illustrious and unknown, he has rubbed up against since his Press Gallery days in Wellington in the early 1950s. He provides insights into a kaleidoscope of human nature – with new perspectives on famous politicians, writers, broadcasters and ‘ordinary’ people who piqued his interest. Most – like Holland, Holyoake, Holmes, Key, Lange, Shadbolt, Davin and Ihimaera – are New Zealanders. Others – like Noam Chomsky and Felipe Fernández-Armesto – are from elsewhere.

Gordon McLauchlan was one of New Zealand best-known and most popular writers, cultural critics and social historians. His The Passionless People was the most famous of several bestsellers.