Throughout New Zealand, many celebrated and renowned authors have been contributing to the country’s literary history for years. This article will show an overview of the most talented and successful writers in New Zealand history.
Joy Cowley
Joy Cowley was born in New Zealand on 7 August 1936. Her first published book is known as ‘Nest in a Falling Tree’ which was released in 1967. This first book was adapted into a screenplay by Ronald Dahl and became the 1971 film The Night Digger.
Some of her other well-known novels include Man of Straw, Of Men and Angels, and The Mandrake Root.
Mary Anne Barker
Mary Anne Barker was born on 29 January 1831 in Spanish Town Jamaica. Later in life, she married Frederick Napier Broome and sailed to New Zealand, where they lived for many years. Some of her most well-known works include Station Life, The Bedroom and Boudoir, and A Years Housekeeping in South Africa.
Frank Sargeson
Frank Sargeson was born on 23 Mach 1903 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was known as a prolific novelist and writer and was credited with introducing everyday New Zealand English to literature.
Through the 1930s and 1940s, he was regarded as the most influential short-story writer in the country. His most popular novels include I Saw in my Dreams, I For One, and The Hangover.
Elizabeth Knox
Elizabeth Knox was born in Wellington, New Zealand and is most well-known for writing The Vintner’s Luck in 1998. She has authored various novels and autobiographical novellas, as well as many essay collections for newspapers and news agencies.
She is still releasing new novels and other books, with the latest release, ‘The Absolute Book’, having been published in 2019.
These are some of the most well-known authors in New Zealand history.