Abstract:
Murray Ball is primarily known in his native land as a cartoonist. In actual fact, Ball's long career has seen him adopt several mantles, including writer, filmmaker, social commentator and sometime agitator. The principle objective of the following work is to demonstrate the scope of the published work of Murray Ball for 1959 to December 1998, in particular identifying this beyond Footrot Flats, his largest work, and that with which he still most widely associated. To this end, a description of the volumes in the series and their foreign translations is included where these have been accessible through the National Bibliography, the National Library, and the limited collection of overseas editions in the Alexander Turnbull collection respectively. An appendix listing significant newspaper and journal articles, plus television and radio appearances is also included, taken largely from secondary sources. Particular emphasis is given to the establishment of 'The Dog' as a cultural icon and sporting mascot, and the controversies surrounding Ball's work The Sisterhood, released during Suffrage Year, 1993. It is intended that this latter aspect will provoke interest in and discussion of the work of Murray Ball as an important contributor to the reshaping of New Zealand's cultural personality over the last thirty years, and that scholarly acknowledgement of his work begin.
