Richard Donald

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French Leave

Following an outburst of escapism, the author and his wife bought a dilapidated apartment at Sete, a characterful fishing town in the south of France. Unlike Provence, which is better known as a tourist Mecca, Languedoc, (which extends from Provence to Spain) is known only to those New Zealanders who have barged along the canal du Midi, or who have discovered that this is a region of France where one can buy good wine cheaply. The seafood, rugged scenery and the spectacular boat fights (joutes) are additional attractions. - no remaining copies.

Painting out the Past. The Life and Art of Patricia France.

"Painting out the Past" celebrates the life and work of New Zealand artist, Patricia France.(1911-95). It is beautifully illustrated by her own paintings and others from her impressive collection of New Zealand artists. Although from a "good family" she struggled to find a place for herself in affluent Auckland society. Following additional family stresses, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Dunedin with severe depression. Like Janet Frame she narrowly avoided a frontal leucotomy but responded to counselling and art therapy. She had her first major exhibition at the mature age of 65. It was a sellout and she continued to be very productive and successful until her death. She was a friend of prominent painters, Ralph Hotere, Colin McCahon, Toss Woolaston and Jeffrey Harris and was the subject of poems by Brian Turner, Denis O'Connor and Noel Ginn. She was closely involved with a Dunedin "Bloomsbury" set of outstanding artists in the 70s and 80s. In her later years she stoically ignored the onset of blindness, and triumphed over her earlier life by "painting out the past." - Remaining copies available from the author.

Travels Without a Donkey

- carries on from "French Leave" but includes many other countries besides France. Coping with a pregnant donkey in Greece, skinny dipping in Switzerland (!), bashing pans on the balconies of Barcelona to make a political statement, narrowly avoiding brigands in Mexico and learning of an unreported murder in the Czech Republic are captured in words and the whimsical drawings of Gennie de Lange.

Corrupted on the Cote d'Azur

A young New Zealander, Tom, obtains a job in the south of France as a sous-chef. His sister Maggie joins him and becomes the mistress of an influential and unscrupulous owner of a supermarket chain. His list of misdemeanors includes theft, tax fraud, omitting to tell his numerous partners that he is HIV positive, child pornography and indirectly, murder. The question is whether he will manage to corrupt the legal system and avoid justice? will Maggie be corrupted by her dangerous liaison? The style is light-hearted, but the subject is serious and topical - corruption. Is it only the small flies that get caught up in the cobweb of the law? - Available from the author and Amazon.