Book Launch: The Beaded Curtain by Lloyd Jones

Massey University Press and Unity Books invite readers to celebrate the launch of The Beaded Curtain, a compelling memoir by acclaimed New Zealand writer Lloyd Jones. Part autobiography, part memoir and part quest, The Beaded Curtain is a searching exploration of the artist as witness, examining how personal memories and historical events shape our understanding of the world. From Jones’s childhood in Lower Hutt and youthful travels across the United States to encounters with the clothes of Hiroshima victims and the Jewish Memorial in Berlin, the book traces a journey through places, people and moments that have left a lasting impression. From the hills of the Wairarapa to Hiroshima and Waiheke Island, Jones reflects on the lives of mavericks, both within his own family and among poets and conscientious objectors. Innovative in its structure and striking in its precision, the memoir weaves together past and present, confronting history with candour, compassion and an unflinching eye. Both tender and angry, elegant and searing, The Beaded Curtain is a deeply human meditation on memory, art and the complexities of bearing witness.