William Pember Reeves, 1857–1932

Abstract

William Pember Reeves would be a minor figure in the literary history of New Zealand were it not for his meteoric political career. While a vigorous journalist and capable versifier in the Victorian manner, Reeves’ most lasting achievement is The Long White Cloud, an influential history of the young British colony that reflects his inside political knowledge. Yet, like most of his best literary work, The Long White Cloud was written in England, once his political career in New Zealand had ended. Though in exile, Reeves continued to propagate his view of New Zealand in a range of historical, poetic and political writings. In these, he did more than anyone before him to shape the world’s perceptions of New Zealand as a progressive and egalitarian society.