Matriarch, The

New Zealand: Heinemann, 1986. First Edition. Cloth. Good/No Jacket. First Edition First Printing Signed. Hard Cover, 122, 17-02-04, Fiction, 50, , , 31-03-04, signed by author on the title page with long notes about his newer versions of these books. Professor Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler DCNZM QSM (born 7 February 1944), generally known as Witi Ihimaera, is a New Zealand author, and is often regarded as the most prominent Maori writer alive today. Ihimaera was born near Gisborne, a town in the east of New Zealand's North Island and is of Maori descent (Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki) and Anglo-Saxon descent through his father, Tom. He is the first Maori writer to publish both a novel and a book of short stories. He began to work as a diplomat at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and served at various diplomatic posts in Canberra, New York, and Washington, D.C. Ihimaera remained at the Ministry until 1989, although his time there was broken by several fellowships at Otago University and Victoria University of Wellington (where he graduated with a BA). In 1990, he took up a position at the University of Auckland, where, today, he is Professor, Distinguished Creative Fellow in Maori Literature. Most of Ihimaera's work consists of short stories or novels. He has written a considerable number of stories, with the most notable being works such as Tangi, Pounamu, Pounamu, and The Whale Rider (the last of which became a film of the same name). His stories generally portray Maori culture in modern New Zealand. His work often focuses on problems within contemporary Maori society. He was made a Distinguished Companion in the New Zealand Order of Merit (equivalent to a knighthood in the old honours system) in 2005 for services to literature. (Wikipedia)