The Midnight Plane by Dame Fiona Kidman

The Midnight Plane marks a significant moment in New Zealand literature, celebrating fifty years since Dame Fiona Kidman first published her debut collection Honey and Bitters in 1975. This new volume not only reaffirms her standing as one of Aotearoa’s most distinguished literary voices, but also offers a profoundly moving and masterfully curated retrospective of her poetic journey. Drawing from six previous collections and culminating in a vibrant selection of new work, The Midnight Plane reads as both a poetic memoir and a meditation on a life lived with fierce attention.

Kidman’s signature clarity of voice and emotional depth resound through each poem. Whether writing of childhood, love, loss, protest, friendship, or ageing, her language is never contrived, always intimate, and often deeply lyrical. The book’s titular poem speaks of a midnight plane “swooping / against the stars, perfectly poised / above the unruly winds,” and this image becomes a fitting metaphor for the collection itself. These poems navigate the darkness with grace, attuned to danger but always seeking a landing place, a home.

The chronological structure of the volume allows readers to trace the evolution of Kidman’s style and preoccupations. Her early work bears the rawness and immediacy of a woman finding her voice within the political and domestic landscapes of the 1970s and 80s. As the collection progresses, her poems deepen in texture, weaving memory and wisdom into observations that feel both timely and timeless.

Of particular note is the body of new poems that closes the book. These are vibrant, clear-eyed, and suffused with emotional precision. There is no sentimentality here, only a persistent willingness to face truth — about mortality, love, legacy, and the ordinary beauty of everyday life. Kidman’s preface is equally moving, offering insight into her belief that “poetry has the power to shake the heart,” a conviction that permeates the collection.

Elegantly produced and warm in the hand, The Midnight Plane is a volume to be returned to again and again. It deserves pride of place not only on the nation’s bookshelves but also on its bedside tables, where its quiet wisdom can accompany readers through the night. This is a landmark collection from a writer whose poetic voice remains as generous, observant, and resonant as ever.

Reviewer: Chris Reed

Otago University Press