Dunedin is an endearing city of firsts – a centre of learning, Scottish heritage, arts, culture and now the highly prestigious title of UNESCO Creative City of Literature, the first and only city in New Zealand to be given the designation.
Located in the Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island, brimming with Edwardian and Victorian-era architecture and staunch Scottish roots, Dunedin becomes one of four newly designated Cities of Literature.
In good company
Newly designated Dunedin, along with three European cities in Spain, Germany and Prague, joins a list of literary destinations that include sister city Edinburgh, Melbourne, Iowa City, Dublin, Reykjavik, Norwich and Krakow.
Home to many of New Zealand’s most celebrated writers including poets Charles Brasch and Thomas Bracken – the author of the national anthem, critically acclaimed writer Janet Frame and Hone Tuwhare, New Zealand’s poet laureate from 1999-2001, Dunedin has been cultivating its diverse and creative roots for centuries.
One of New Zealand’s oldest and most important settler cities, Dunedin was the ancestral home of the Māori tribe, Ngāi Tahu and settling place for mass Scottish migration in 1848. It was the Scots who brought the literature of Robbie Burns to Dunedin – something that is still celebrated today with a Robbie Burns statue occupying a prominent place in the Octagon at the city’s centre.
The Scottish influence in Dunedin is so strong that architecture, restaurants and bars serving haggis and a wee tipple, and the skirl of the bagpipes are ever-present.
Literary talent
Many talented and published writers and literary artists have drawn inspiration from the melting-pot of Māori, Pacific, Asian and European culture present in the city. A thriving branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors flourishes in the city and writers of significance, past and present, are honoured in a Writers’ Walk.
Publishing has also played an important role in Dunedin’s place in the literature world. In the 19th century Dunedin businesses were leaders in printing, papermaking and publishing, and the city is home to New Zealand’s first daily newspaper, The Otago Daily Times which is still published today.
The Cities of Literature bid has been in the planning stages since 2010 and it is places like the University of Otago’s Centre for the Book that have helped Dunedin become recognised on the world stage.
