Emily Perkins (novelist)
Emily Perkins | |
|---|---|
 Perkins in October 2012 | |
| Born | Emily Justine Perkins 1970 (age 53–54) Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable awards | Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award (2011) |
| Spouse | Karl Maughan[1] |
| Children | 3[2] |
| Website | |
| emilyperkinsauthor | |
Emily Justine Perkins MNZM (born 1970) is a New Zealand novelist and short story writer. She has won a number of notable literary awards, including twice winning the top award for fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards (in 2009 and 2023). In 2011 she received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award.
Early life and education[edit]
Perkins was born in Christchurch in 1970.[3] She worked as a television actor as a teenager, playing the character Fran in the television series Open House.[2] She graduated from Toi Whakaari with a diploma in acting in 1989,[4] but decided to quit acting a few years later after being unable to find work.[2]
After quitting acting, Perkins studied writing under Bill Manhire at Victoria University.[3][2]
Career[edit]
Perkins' first collection of stories, Not Her Real Name and Other Stories, was published in 1996 by Picador while she was living in London.[3][2] She had been introduced to a contact at Picador by Fergus Barrowman, the publisher of Sport magazine.[2]
Perkins' novels are Leave Before You Go (Picador, 1998), The New Girl (Picador, 2001), Novel About My Wife (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2008), and The Forrests (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012).
A long-time resident of London, Perkins subsequently lived in Auckland where she was employed by both the University of Auckland as a creative writing tutor and Auckland University of Technology as a lecturer. In 2013 she moved to Wellington, where she became a senior lecturer at the International Institute of Modern Letters (part of Victoria University).[2][5]
Perkins presented a television series about books called The Good Word from 2009 to 2012.[6]
Awards[edit]
Not Her Real Name and Other Stories was shortlisted for the New Zealand Book Award and won the Best First Book (Fiction) Award. Subsequently, it also won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize.[7]
Novel About My Wife won the 2009 Montana Book Awards and the Believer Book Award.
The Forrests was tipped by the Hay Festival to win the 2012 Man Booker Prize,[8] but failed to reach the long list.
Perkins was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to literature.[9]
She won the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for Lioness.[10]
Publications[edit]
- Perkins, Emily (1997). Not Her Real Name and Other Stories. Picador. ISBN 978-0330342667.
- — (1998). Leave Before You Go. Picador. ISBN 978-0330353076.
- — (2002). The New Girl. Picador. ISBN 978-0330376013.
- — (2008). Novel About My Wife. Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 1596911662.
- — (2012). The Forrests. Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 978-1608196777.
- — (2023). Lioness. Bloomsbury ISBN 978-1526660671.
References[edit]
- ^ Simpson, Emily (24 July 2021). "The Dirt: Lifelong interest in plants inspires painter Karl Maughan". Stuff. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Easther, Elisabeth (7 July 2023). "Emily Perkins opens up on changing careers and her personal life". The Listener. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Emily Perkins". Read NZ Te Pou Muramura. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Graduate". www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "International Institute of Modern Letters: Emily Perkins". Victoria University.
- ^ "The Good Word, Television, 2009–2012". NZ On Screen.
- ^ Katy Guest (16 May 2008). "Emily Perkins: The benefit of distance". The Independent. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "Emily Perkins and Kishwar Desai talk to Gaby Wood". Hay Festival. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2017". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2024 Winners' Announcement". Scoop News. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Profile at Read NZ Te Pou Muramura
- 2008 interview at books site Pickle Me This
- Interview with Emily Perkins on her first play; Standing Room Only, Radio New Zealand National, 2015
| International | |
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