Helen

Portrait of a Prime Minister

Brian Edwards

New Zealand's first elected woman Prime Minister remains an enigma to many, despite her public profile.
This is a comprehensive, balanced look at how the daughter of a conservative farming family became a left-wing activist; how she was transformed from a seemingly dry and bloodless academic into a popular, media-savvy and charismatic leader; and how she moulded a disparate group of factions into a cohesive coalition.
As much an oral history as it is a biography, compiled from interviews with friends, family, colleagues and political opponents - and Helen herself - this book is an insightful look at the story of an exceptional woman and was the first to be published on Helen Clark.

About the Author:
Brian Edwards was born in the Republic of Ireland and emigrated to New Zealand in 1964, the same year he was awarded his doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. He is the author and editor of numerous books and an ex-television and radio presenter and interviewer. He and his wife run a media consulting business in Auckland. The couple have provided media advice to Helen Clark since 1996. In 1999 Dr Edwards was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting and journalism.

242 x 166mm | cased with jacket | 352pp | colour illustrations