Dame Fiona Kidman has been writing for 60 years and – when she has a project – always has a discipline of four hours a day and a goal of 1000 words.
Kidman, 82, says she feels lucky to live in Wellington, her home for more than 50 years.
FIONA KIDMAN:
I live in Hataitai on top of a cliff overlooking the Cook Strait and back towards the Hutt Valley. The property is two-sided, with enormous panoramic views.
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I’ve only lived here 50 years, and I was two doors down for four years before that. Hataitai is a wonderful neighborhood, established in the late 1920s, and my house will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary.
It’s 152m², a big old house that stretches over the hill, but it’s not flash.
I have a small studio downstairs with a family member who lives there. Apart from that, I have been living alone since my husband, Ian, died five years ago.
KEVIN STENT
Kidman treasures this pounamu presented to her when she was named New Zealand Writer of Honor at the 2017 Auckland Writers Festival.
I have 49 steps to climb from the road to my house. Many years ago, when my mother lived with us, we had a small cable car installed; it may take two or three people. I climb my steps a little more for exercise:
And, I walk with friends on weekends. We try to choose different places around Wellington. I climbed Mount Kaukau this year, which I’m proud of. It’s a climb.
For my daily walk, I often walk around Lyall Bay. I made it this morning and almost got blown away. It was good and moving. I came home feeling much better than when I left, as I always do.
We get the north winds and the south winds. Sometimes they wear you out after a few days, but essentially that’s how it is. The wind is part of life.
KEVIN STENT
Kidman has been collecting blue glass for years and loves these pieces given to him by friends. They are sitting above the desk where she works.
I grew up in Northland and I love it, I still have ties to it. But Wellington is home: I think I’m incredibly lucky. I moved here on my 30th birthday in 1970, for my husband’s job: he was a changing teacher.
This year I published So Far, For Now at the end of March. It’s not a strict chronological memoir, more a series of essays on things to do with my life. The first and last deal with widowhood – a little discussed part of people’s lives.
When I became a widow, I felt a bit like I had passed my expiry date. After 58 years together, it’s a huge adjustment.
KEVIN STENT
The wooden jewelry box was made by prisoners of war in the First World War, representing the camp on the island of Matiu Somes. It was a gift to Kidman’s husband from his mother-in-law.
You have to think about how you want to live your life. You have been bereaved, but there is still life to live and you want to do as much of it as possible.
Apart from the release of this book I have done a number of small commissions, of which Pānui for Read NZ has been quite large. It’s a public lecture, but they’re putting it out as a little book.
I have always worked from home, in different parts of the house. I have a room that overlooks the garden and has a glimpse of the sea. It doubles as a guest room. I have a lot of adult grandchildren who sometimes occupy the bed.
KEVIN STENT / Stuff
The fishing trawler model was a gift from one of Kidman’s grandsons to his grandfather.
It’s officially the sixtieth year that I call myself a writer: I’ve been writing since the age of 22. I have working disciplines. If I’m working on a project, I work from nine in the morning until one o’clock. I’m aiming for the magic thousand [words] one day.
KEVIN STENT
The art nouveau vase belonged to Kidman’s beloved aunt. “She used to keep it filled with flowers next to her phone. She was great at talking endlessly on the phone.
I think another novel is possible. I’m at the thinking stage: I take a few notes here and there, I collect bits of information in my head and in doing so, the characters begin to have a life of their own that escapes me.
As a child, I wrote a lot and did well in English from an early age. I could have had other more profitable careers, but I’m glad I didn’t.
I feel like putting things in books is sustainable, and I’m a writer with a passion for social justice, which I’ve been able to express in my writing.
KEVIN STENT / Stuff
The paintings in the living room of Kidman’s grandson, London artist Raphael Kidman, were an 80th birthday present.
You don’t know what will happen to your books in the future. Some of mine are totally forgettable. I wrote 35.
If I had one wish about myself as a writer, it was that I had the passionate energy that I had as a younger writer. Age changes you. What I have now is more handy crafting. Having it all at once would be nice.
*Fiona Kidman will give the pānui (lecture), “The Heart of the Matter” for Read NZ Te Pou Muramura on November 9 at the National Library in Wellington. Tickets are free but limited.
