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Elizabeth Fiona Knox (born 15 February 1959) is a New Zealand writer. She has authored several novels for both adults and teenagers, autobiographical novellas, and a collection of essays. One of her best-known works is ''
The Vintner's Luck ''The Vintner's Luck'' is a romantic fantasy novel by New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox, first published in 1998. It was her fourth full-length novel, and her first book published outside New Zealand. The novel charts the relationship between a ...
'' (1998), which won several awards, has been published in ten languages, and was made into a film of the same name by Niki Caro in 2009. Knox is also known for her young adult literary fantasy series, '' Dreamhunter Duet''. Her most recent novels are ''Mortal Fire'' and ''Wake'', both published in 2013, and ''The Absolute Book'', published in 2019.


Early life

Knox was born in Wellington, New Zealand. She and her two sisters were raised by atheist parents in a household where religion was often debated. They spent their childhood living in various small suburbs of Wellington, including Pomare, Wadestown,
Waikanae Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kapiti Coast, 60 kilometres north of the Wellington CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the grey mullet". The town lies between Paraparaumu, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Ōtak ...
and Paremata. She went to high school at
Tawa College Tawa College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Tawa, Wellington, New Zealand. The school opened in 1961, and primarily serves students in Tawa and the surrounding suburbs. A total of students from Years 9 to 13 attend the sc ...
, and later published a trilogy of novellas that were influenced by her childhood experiences of living in and around Wellington. Knox enjoyed inventing stories as a child, and was an avid reader, but had difficulties with writing because she was slightly dyslexic. When she was eleven she created an oral narrative history with her younger sister Sara and its characters and plot evolved based on their input along with the input of their older sister, Mary, and their friend, Carol. It became an elaborate imaginary world with many characters, intricate plot lines, and involvements. When she was sixteen, Knox's father overheard a discussion between her, her sisters, and Carol regarding the consequences of a secret treaty set in their imaginary world and remarked that he hoped they were writing this down. Following this, they all tried "writing stories about, letters between, and poems by their characters" and Knox enjoyed it so much that she decided she would like to be a writer.


Career


Early career: 1983–1997

In 1983, when Knox was 24, she started a degree in English Literature at Victoria University of Wellington. A year later, she started work on ''After Z-Hour'' in Bill Manhire's Original Composition course at Victoria. The novel is about the ghost of a World War I soldier, and it was inspired by a childhood memory; at age eleven Knox fell from a walnut tree on
Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...
, and while in the hospital she overheard a conversation between an older man and her father about Passchendaele and life on the Salient in 1917. Bill Manhire encouraged her to write her novel, and told her he would be more interested in seeing her complete it, than her degree. ''After Z-Hour'' was published in 1987 by Victoria University Press, and Knox graduated from Victoria University of Wellington the same year. She was also awarded the ICI Young Writers Bursary award that year. In 1988 Knox,
Fergus Barrowman Fergus Barrowman (born 1961) is a New Zealand publisher and literary commentator. He has been the publisher at Victoria University Press since 1985. Career In addition to running Victoria University Press, Barrowman also edited and published t ...
, Nigel Cox, and
Damien Wilkins Damien Lamont Wilkins (born January 11, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player and basketball executive who played in the National Basketball Association for ten seasons. He is the General Manager and Head of Basketball at Ov ...
, with the help of Bill Manhire,
Alan Preston Alan Herbert Preston (29 October 1932 – 2 September 2004) was a New Zealand football (soccer) player and cricketer who represented the New Zealand national football team and played 38 first-class matches for Wellington and two for the North I ...
and Andrew Mason, co-founded the literary journal '' Sport''. Knox was one of its editors and has been a frequent contributor to the magazine. Her second and third novels, ''Treasure'' (1992) and ''Glamour and the Sea'' (1996), were both set in Wellington; the former was about a religious community while the latter was a mystery novel set in the 1940s. Alongside these novels, Knox also wrote a trilogy of novellas based on her own experiences growing up in Wellington: ''Paremata'' (1989), ''Pomare'' (1994), and ''Tawa'' (1998), later published in the compilation ''The High Jump: A New Zealand Childhood'' (2000). She was the recipient of the Victoria University of Wellington Writing Fellowship in 1997.


''The Vintner's Luck'' and other work: 1998–2010

Knox's fourth full-length novel, ''The Vintner's Luck'', was published in 1998, and was her first book to be published outside New Zealand. It chronicles the life of a peasant winemaker, Sobran Jodeau, and his relationship with the fallen angel Xas. The novel is set in 19th-century
Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
, France, and spans 55 years. It was inspired by a feverish dream experienced by Knox when she had pneumonia. ''The Vintner's Luck'' won Knox widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards, and it raised her profile within New Zealand and overseas. It sold over 60,000 copies in New Zealand alone and in 2018, readers of '' The Spinoff'' voted it as the best New Zealand novel of the last 50 years. After the success of ''The Vintner's Luck'', and spending part of 1999 in Menton, France as the recipient of the
Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship The Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, formerly known as the New Zealand Post Katherine Mansfield Prize and the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship, is one of New Zealand's foremost literary awards. Named after Katheri ...
, three novels by Knox were published in quick succession: ''Black Oxen'' (2001), ''Billie's Kiss'' (2002), and ''Daylight'' (2003). In 2002, Knox was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, for services to literature. Knox's first young adult books, ''Dreamhunter'' and ''Dreamquake'', were published in 2005 and 2007 respectively, as the '' Dreamhunter Duet'' series. Jolisa Gracewood, reviewing ''Dreamquake'', described the book as a "
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
-meets- Mahy fantasy" and praised Knox for her audacious imagination and ingeniously constructed tales. In 2008, she published a collection of non-fiction, ''The Love School: Personal Essays'', which was shortlisted in the 2009
Montana New Zealand Book Awards The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder W ...
. Since 2013 a quotation from ''The Love School'' has been featured on a concrete plaque forming part of the Wellington Writers Walk, a series of quotations installed along the Wellington waterfront. In 2009 the
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of ''The Vintner's Luck'' directed and co-written by Niki Caro was released. The film was almost universally panned at the
34th Annual Toronto International Film Festival The 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 10 and September 19, 2009. The opening night gala presented the Charles Darwin biography ''Creation''. ''The Young Victoria'', based ...
. Knox was disappointed at the direction the movie took as she felt Caro "took out what the book was actually about", referring to the romantic relationship between Sobran and Xas which was a core aspect of the novel. Her sister Sara, who is gay, was also upset about the film version. Knox's bad experience with the film made her pull out of a potential film contract with New Zealand filmmaker Jonathan King for her young adult fantasy series, ''The Dreamhunter Duet''. That same year, Knox published ''The Angel's Cut'', a sequel to ''The Vintner's Luck.'' The story follows the tale of Xas after the events of the first book and is set in 1930s Hollywood. At the time she said that she was intending to write a third book in the series, ''The Angel's Reserve'', set in contemporary times, but as of 2020 it has not yet been published.


Later career

In 2013, ''Mortal Fire'' was published, a young adult novel described by
Paula Green Paula Green (September 18, 1927 – December 4, 2015) was an American advertising executive, best known for writing the lyrics to the "Look for the Union Label" song for ILGWU and the Avis motto "We Try Harder". Green was one of the pionee ...
as "a modern fairy story without fairies, full of breathtaking magic and visual detail", and ''Wake'', a horror novel for adults. '' The Guardian'' said in its review: "Knox keeps the monster off stage and examines the psychological consequences of its depredations on the survivors, subverting the norms of the horror genre and thus making the ambiguous finale all the more startling." The publication of both books in the same year caused some confusion, with New Zealand bookstore Whitcoulls inadvertently shelving ''Wake'' in the children's section and listing it as a "great gift for kids". Since 2016, Knox has taught a world-building writing workshop at Victoria University. In 2019, ''The Absolute Book'' was published, a fantasy novel that won critical acclaim both in New Zealand and overseas. The book attracted particular attention after a January 2020 book review by ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'' writer Dan Kois headlined "This New Zealand Fantasy Masterpiece Needs to Be Published in America, Like, Now". The book was subsequently acquired by overseas publishers. It was published in the US and Canada in February 2021, and in the UK in March 2021. ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' wrote: "This darkly luminous fantasy reads like a mystery, thoroughly and wonderfully transporting readers to another world." '' The Times'' described the novel as "bursting with imagination" and "a bewitching, frustrating, strange and perverse novel".
Nina Allan Nina Allan (born 27 May 1966) is a British writer of speculative fiction. She has published four collections of short stories, a novella and two novels. Her stories have appeared in the magazines '' Interzone'', ''Black Static'' and ''Crimewave ...
, reviewing the novel for ''The Guardian'', said it "has the feel of an instant classic" and "is everything fantasy should be: original, magical, well read". She praised the diverse characters and the book's "genuine feeling of jeopardy". It was listed as one of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2021 by '' The New York Times''. In June 2020, Knox was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to literature, in the
2020 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works b ...
. She said that on receiving the award her first thought was that her parents would have been amused, given her lack of writing ability as a child.


Honours and awards


Fellowships and honours

* Writer in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington in 1997 * Recipient of Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship, 1999, to enable an NZ author to work in Menton, France * Recipient of Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award in 2000 * Appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, for services to literature * Recipient of Creative New Zealand Michael King Writer's Fellowship in 2014 * Recipient of Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Fiction, 2019 *Awarded an
honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...
Doctorate of Literature A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
from Victoria University of Wellington in 2020. * Promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the
2020 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works b ...
, for services to literature


Prizes for individual books

* ''Treasure'' short-listed for New Zealand Book Award for Fiction 1993 * ''The Vintner′s Luck'' winner of 1999 Deutz Medal for Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards * ''The Vintner's Luck'' winner of 1999 Reader's Choice Award at the New Zealand Book Awards * ''The Vintner's Luck'' winner of 1999 Booksellers' Choice Award at the New Zealand Book Awards * ''The Vintner's Luck'' long-listed for 1999
Orange Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
* ''The Vintner's Luck'' winner of 2001 Tasmania Pacific Region Prize * ''Billie's Kiss'' runner-up of 2002 Deutz Medal for Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards * ''Daylight'' short-listed for Best Book in the South Pacific & South East Asian Region, for 2004
Commonwealth Writers Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...
* ''Dreamhunter'' short-listed for the Deutz Medal for Fiction at the 2006 New Zealand Book Awards * ''Dreamhunter'' winner of 2006 Esther Glen Award * ''Dreamhunter'' chosen for a White Raven Award by the International Youth Library in 2006 * ''Dreamhunter'' winner of 2007 ALA Best Books For Young Adults award * ''Dreamquake'' Honor Book of 2008
Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's y ...
* ''Dreamquake'' winner of 2008 ALA Best Books For Young Adults award * ''The Invisible Road'' winner of 2009 Best Collected Work, Sir Julius Vogel Award * ''The Love School: Personal Essays'' shortlisted in the Biography section of the New Zealand Book Awards 2009 * ''Mortal Fire'' finalist for Young Adult Literature in the Los Angeles Times Best Book Awards * ''Mortal Fire'' winner of 2014 New Zealand Post Children's Book Award for Young Adult Fiction * ''Mortal Fire'' chosen for a White Raven Award by the International Youth Library in 2014


Personal life

As of 2020 Knox lives in Wellington and is married to
Fergus Barrowman Fergus Barrowman (born 1961) is a New Zealand publisher and literary commentator. He has been the publisher at Victoria University Press since 1985. Career In addition to running Victoria University Press, Barrowman also edited and published t ...
, a publisher at Victoria University Press. They have a son, Jack Barrowman. Barrowman and Knox met when he was involved in publishing her first book, ''After Z-Hour'' (1987).


Selected works

* ''After Z-Hour'' (1987) * ''Paremata'' (1989) * ''Treasure'' (1992) * ''Pomare'' (1994) * ''Glamour and the Sea'' (1996) * ''Tawa'' (1998) * ''The Vintner's Luck'' (1998) * ''The High Jump'' (2000) * ''Black Oxen'' (2001) * ''Billie's Kiss'' (2002) * ''Daylight'' (2003) * ''Dreamhunter'' (Book 1 of the '' Dreamhunter Duet'') (2005) * ''Dreamquake'' (Book 2 of the ''Dreamhunter Duet'') (2007) * ''The Love School'' (essays) (2008) * ''The Invisible Road'' (2008) * ''The Angel's Cut'' (Sequel to ''The Vintner's Luck'') (2009) * ''Mortal Fire'' (2013) * ''Wake'' (2013) * ''The Absolute Book'' (2019)


References


External links


Official website

Biography on the Read NZ website

Biography on Macmillan Books website

Profile on The Arts Foundation website

Biography on HarperCollins website

Bibliography in the Auckland University Library's New Zealand Literature File website


{{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Elizabeth 1959 births Living people New Zealand women novelists Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit Victoria University of Wellington alumni 20th-century New Zealand novelists 21st-century New Zealand novelists 21st-century New Zealand women writers 20th-century New Zealand women writers Women horror writers People educated at Tawa College