Ian Robert Cross (6 November 1925 – 2 November 2019) was a New Zealand novelist, journalist and administrator, and contributed significantly to New Zealand letters. His first novel, ''

The God Boy ''The God Boy'' is a novel written by Ian Cross, first published in 1957 and reprinted in 2003. Cross, who was a journalist, based the story on the real lives of juvenile delinquents he encountered in his work. The book was adapted as an op ...

'', was released in 1957 to critical acclaim. Later novels are ''The Backward Sex'' (1959), ''After ANZAC Day'' (1961) and ''The Family Man'' (1993). Cross was born in Masterton and educated at

Wanganui Technical College Whanganui City College is located in Ingestre Street, Whanganui. It became Wanganui City College in 1994. It was formerly the Wanganui Technical College established in 1911 and it became Wanganui Boys' College in 1964. Notable alumni *Peter Bel ...

. He was a newspaper reporter from 1943 to 1956, including at '' The Dominion'' (1943–1947 and chief reporter 1951–1956), the ''

Panamá América Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cost ...

'' (1947–1949) and the ''Southern Cross'' (the Labour Party newspaper, 1949–1950). He was public relations manager for Feltex New Zealand from 1961 to 1972. His contribution to New Zealand literature extended to his work on various boards, his critical commentaries and his various roles in the

New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...

(NZBC). He was editor of the ''New Zealand Listener'' from 1973 to 1977, chairman of the NZBC between 1977 and 1984 and chief executive from 1984 to 1986. He was president of several organisations, including the

Indecent Publications Tribunal The Indecent Publications Tribunal was a government censorship organisation that operated in New Zealand from 1964 until 1993. It was established under the Indecent Publications Act 1963 and consisted of five members, with one a High Court barris ...

(1964–1967), PEN (1968–1972), the QEII Arts Council (1968–1972), and the National Commission for UNESCO (1969–1972). He held a fellowship in journalism at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1954–1955 and the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

in 1959. He won ''The Atlantic Monthly'' short story prize in 1956. In 1988 he published ''The Unlikely Bureaucrat'', a non-fiction memoir. Another memoir was released in 2007 called ''Such Absolute Beginners''. In the 1994 New Year Honours, Cross was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for services to broadcasting and literature. Cross married Tui Tunnicliffe in 1952, and they had four sons. He died at

Paraparaumu Paraparaumu () is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Kapiti Coast, north of the nation's capital city, Wellington. Like other towns in the area, it has a partner settlement at the coast called Paraparaumu Bea ...

on 2 November 2019, having been predeceased by his wife a month earlier.

References

External links

New Zealand book council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Ian 1925 births 2019 deaths New Zealand male novelists New Zealand journalists New Zealand public servants New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from Masterton 20th-century New Zealand novelists People educated at Whanganui City College