Literary figures dominate non-fiction in NZ Book Awards short-list

A literary biography of Maurice Gee and a memoir by novelist Witi Ihimaera – author of the book on which the film Mahana is based – are among four shortlisted non-fiction titles in the 2016 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

The awards have returned after a year-long hiatus with new sponsorship from a property development company, increased prize money and a winners’ ceremony open to the public as part of the Auckland Writers Festival.

The two other shortlisted non-fiction titles are Fiona Farrell’s The Villa at the Edge of the Empire, about the cultural failure of the Christchurch rebuild, and the Holocaust-themed Lost and Gone Away by Lynn Jenner.

Category judge convenor Simon Wilson says all on the shortlist are all by, or about, writers who are better known for fiction.

“For most of them, the author has invented the manner of the storytelling, and done so with remarkable skill. They are also, each in its own way, pathfinders.”

Four novelists are competing for the new $50,000 Acorn Foundation Literary Award.

They include Wellington writer David Coventry’s debut novel, The Invisible Mile, about a New Zealander who in 1928 rode with the first English-speaking Tour de France team.

Others in the fiction shortlist are Patricia Grace, Emeritus Professor Patrick Evans and Stephen Daisley.

Judge Jill Rawnsley says the books embrace historical themes.

“All are masterful examples of storytelling, using multiple narrative points of view, conjuring up hugely memorable – if not always likeable – characters and vivid portrayals of hard physical and psychologically complex lives,” she says.

The awards also contain categories for illustrated non-fiction and poetry as well as four Best First Book Awards. The winners will be announced at the opening of the Auckland Writers Festival on Tuesday, May 10.

The shortlisted finalists are:
General Non-Fiction
Maurice Gee: Life and Work by Rachel Barrowman (Victoria University Press)
The Villa at the Edge of the Empire: One Hundred Ways to Read a City by Fiona Farrell (Penguin Random House)
Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood by Witi Ihimaera (Penguin Random House)
Lost and Gone Away by Lynn Jenner (Auckland University Press)

Illustrated Non-Fiction
Te Ara Puoro: A Journey into the World of Māori Music by Richard Nunns (Potton and Burton)
New Zealand Photography Collected by Athol McCredie (Te Papa Press)
Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History by Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney, Aroha Harris (Bridget Williams Books)
Real Modern: Everyday New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s by Bronwyn Labrum (Te Papa Press)

Fiction
The Back of His Head by Patrick Evans (Victoria University Press)
Chappy by Patricia Grace (Penguin Random House)
Coming Rain by Stephen Daisley (Text Publishing)
The Invisible Mile by David Coventry (Victoria University Press)

Poetry
How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes by Chris Tse (Auckland University Press)
The Night We Ate the Baby by Tim Upperton (Haunui Press)
Song of the Ghost in the Machine by Roger Horrocks (Victoria University Press)
The Conch Trumpet by David Eggleton (Otago University Press)

Follow NBR on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for the latest news and free on-demand audio from NBR Radio.