Sir James Henry Peter McNeish (23 October 1931 – 11 November 2016) was a New Zealand novelist, playwright and biographer.

Biography

McNeish attended

Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

and graduated from

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

with a degree in languages. He travelled the world as a young man, working as a deckhand on a Norwegian freighter in 1958, and recording folk music in 21 countries. He worked in the

Theatre Workshop Theatre Workshop is a theatre group whose long-serving director was Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company, many of its productions were transferred to theatres in the West En ...

in London with

Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of M ...

, and was influenced by her spirit of socially-committed drama. He worked as a freelance programme and documentary maker for the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

's ''Features'' Department in the 1960s. He also wrote for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' and ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''. He spent three years in Sicily with

Danilo Dolci Danilo Dolci (June 28, 1924 – December 30, 1997) was an Italian social activist, sociologist, popular educator and poet. He is best known for his opposition to poverty, social exclusion and the Mafia in Sicily, and is considered to be one of the ...

, the non-violent anti-

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

reformer, and wrote ''Fire under the Ashes'' (1965, London:

Hodder and Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher ...

)Some Sort of Sicilian Saint
Time, 8 April 1966 a biographical account of Dolci's life which is remarkable for its objectivity and clarity. He wrote some 25 books. McNeish's writing has been the subject of critical acclaim both at home and abroad. Besides New Zealand, his books are set in Sicily, London, Israel and New Caledonia. He was described as "prolific" by the '' Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature''. His book ''Lovelock'' was nominated for the 1986

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

. In 1999, McNeish was awarded the prestigious

National Library of New Zealand The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...

Research Fellowship, allowing him to research the lives and friendships of five prominent New Zealanders who attended

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in the 1930s—four of them

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

: James Bertram, Geoffrey Cox,

Dan Davin Daniel Marcus Davin (1 September 1913 – 28 September 1990), generally known as Dan Davin, was an author who wrote about New Zealand, although for most of his career he lived in Oxford, England, working for Oxford University Press. The themes o ...

Ian Milner Ian Frank George Milner (6 June 1911 – 31 May 1991) was a New Zealand Rhodes Scholar at New College, Oxford who had attended Waitaki Boys' High School. He was then a political scientist, a civil servant with the Australian Department of External ...

and

John Mulgan John Alan Edward Mulgan (31 December 1911 – 26 April 1945) was a New Zealand writer, journalist and editor, and the elder son of journalist and writer Alan Mulgan. His influence on New Zealand literature and identity grew in the years afte ...

. This multi-biography was published under the title ''The Dance of the Peacocks: New Zealanders in exile in the time of Hitler and Mao Tse Tung'' (2003). In the same vein, ''The Sixth Man'' (2007) is a biography of another gifted New Zealander, Paddy Costello, who studied at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

during the same period and whose subsequent career in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

was marred by controversy. In 2010, McNeish was honoured with the

Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement is a New Zealand literary award established in 2003 by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand), the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government. Each ...

in Non-Fiction. His intention was to donate part of his prize towards a travel scholarship—'a hardship scheme'—for young writers. James McNeish KNZM investiture

It was said about McNeish that among New Zealand novelists, he was the 'wild card'. In an interview with Philip Matthews in 2010 (''Weekend'', 26 June 2010), he said: "I've always been an outsider, and I'm quite comfortable with that. To retain your critical sense in a small society like New Zealand, you have to stand apart". In the

2011 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2011 were announced on 31 December 2010 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,New Zealand"New Year Honours 2011"(14 January 2011) 2 ''New Zealand Gazette'' 55. The Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands: Grenada,Grenada: ...

, McNeish was appointed as

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

for services to literature. McNeish lived in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand, with his wife Helen, Lady McNeish. He has one son Mark and one daughter, Kathryn. He died on 11 November 2016, aged 85, several days after submitting his final manuscript, ''Breaking Ranks'', to HarperCollins for publication in April 2017.

Awards

*Recipient of the

Katherine Mansfield Menton 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 List of New Zealand literary awards, ...

, France, 1973 *Writer in Residence, Berlin Kuenstler Program, 1983 *

Research Fellow, 1999 *Berlin Writers' Residency 2009 funded by

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

, the national agency for the development of the arts in New Zealand. *Recipient of the 2010

in non-fiction. *Knight Companion of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

, 31 December 2010 New Year Honours. *President of Honour of the

New Zealand Society of Authors The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN New Zealand Inc.) promotes and protects the interests of New Zealand writers. It was founded as the New Zealand PEN Centre (Poets, Essays and Novelists) in 1934. It broadened its scope and became the New Ze ...

, 2012–2013

Major works

Novels *''Mackenzie'' (1970) *''The Mackenzie Affair'' (1972) *''The Glass Zoo'' (1976) *''Joy'' (1982) *''Lovelock'' (1986; enlarged edition, 2009) *''Penelope's Island'' (1990) *''My Name Is Paradiso'' (1995) *''Mr Halliday & the Circus Master'' (1996) *''The Crime of Huey Dunstan'' (2010) Non-Fiction *''Tavern in the Town'' (1957; revised and enlarged, 1984) *''Fire Under the Ashes: A Life of Danilo Dolci'' (1965) *''Larks in a Paradise'' (with

Marti Friedlander Martha Friedlander (; 19 February 1928 – 14 November 2016) was a British-New Zealand photographer. She emigrated to New Zealand in 1958, where she was known for photographing and documenting New Zealand's people, places and events, and was c ...

) (1974) *''As for the Godwits'' (1977) *''Art of the Pacific'' (with

Brian Brake John Brian Brake (27 June 1927 – 4 August 1988) was a photographer from New Zealand. Biography Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Brake was the adopted son of John Samuel Brake and his wife Jennie Brake (née Chiplin). He was raised initially at ...

) (1980) *''Belonging: Conversations in Israel'' (1980) *''Walking on my Feet: A Life of A.R.D. Fairburn'' (with Helen McNeish) (1983) *''Ahnungslos in Berlin: A Berlin Diary'' (1985) *''The Man from Nowhere & Other Prose'' (1991) *''The Mask of Sanity: The Bain Murders'' (1997) *''An Albatross Too Many'' (1998) *''Dance of the Peacocks: New Zealanders in exile in the time of Hitler and Mao Tse-tung'' (

Vintage Books Vintage Books is a trade paperback publishing imprint of Penguin Random House originally established by Alfred A. Knopf in 1954. The company was purchased by Random House in April 1960, and a British division was set up in 1990. After Random Hous ...

, 2003), *''The Sixth Man: the extraordinary life of Paddy Costello'' (2007) *''Touchstones – Memories of people and place'' (2012) *''Seelenbinder: the Olympian who defied Hitler'' (2016) Plays *''The Mouse Man'' (1975) *''Eighteen Ninety-Five'' (1975) *''The Rocking Cave'' (1973) *''Thursday Bloody Thursday'' (1998)

Articles, reviews and essays

Anthology * ''Not so far from Godwit Bay'', In ''From a Room of their Own, A Celebration of the

Katherine Mansfield 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 List of New Zealand literary awards, ...

'', Auckland,

Whitcoulls Whitcoulls is a major New Zealand book, stationery, gift, games & toy retail chain. Formerly known as Whitcombe & Tombs, it has 54 stores nationally. Whitcombe & Tombs was founded in 1888, and Coulls Somerville Wilkie in 1871. The companies mer ...

, (1993) Articles * A visit to

Denis Glover Denis James Matthews Glover (9 December 19129 August 1980) was a New Zealand poet and publisher. Born in Dunedin, he attended the University of Canterbury where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently lectured. He worked as a reporte ...

, ''Quote Unquote'' (30 Dec 1995) 17–19 * Ambush aftermath in New Caledonia, ''

The Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...

'' (1991) 18 * Did Ulysses just sail round Sicily? '' The Dominion'' (1991) 8 * Mulgan's War, '' The Listener'' (April 1994) 38 * Paper exodus sends our literary heritage abroad, ''The Dominion Sunday Times'' (1990) 9–20 * Paper exodus sends our literary heritage abroad, ''Archifacts'' (April 1991) 77–91 * Patric's Day (Obit of Patric Carey) ''The Listener'' (September 2006) Biography * Walking on my feet: A. R. D. Fairburn : a kind of biography. Auckland, Collins 1983, ''New Outlook'' Dec 1983/Jan 1984 Dec/Jan (1983) 37 Interview * The Greek Experience: a conversation with David Kennedy, ''Art New Zealand'' 36 (1985) 50–53 Letter * Murder in Bainville: an open letter to Graeme Lay, ''Quote Unquote'' 25 July (1995) 16–17 Non-Fiction * A war of nerves, ''The Listener'' 118.2486 (1987) 16–19 * Breaking the silence, ''The Listener'' 146.2850 (1994) 20–25 * Case closed : how and why

David Bain On 20 June 1994, Robin and Margaret Bain and three of their four childrenArawa, Laniet and Stephenwere shot to death in Dunedin, New Zealand. The only suspects were David Cullen Bain, the eldest son and only survivor, and Robin Bain, the father ...

killed his family, ''The Listener'' (1997) 18 * Lovelock's dream mile, ''The Listener'' 145.2839 (1994) 24–25 Tavern in the Town. Wellington: Reed, 1957 * The Ends of Empire : Part 1, ''The Listener'' 115.2448 (1987) 11–15 * The Ends of Empire : Part 2, ''The Listener'' 115.2449 (1987) 10–13 * The Grand Old Hotels of Thermal-land, ''Meanjin Quarterly'' 47 May (1985) 144–148 The Man From Nowhere & Other Prose. Auckland: Godwit, 1991 ''North and South'' Dec (1991) 119–123 Walking on My Feet : A. R. D. Fairburn, 1904–1957 : a Kind of Biography. Auckland: Collins, 1983 * Who will guard the peace? ''The Listener'' ang2057 124.2571 (1989) 12–15 * ''Landfall'' 37 June (1983) 218–220 * ''New Outlook'' Autumn (1983) 35 Lovelock' Auckland, Godwit, 1994 * ''New Zealand Runner'' 49 April (1987) 16 Mackenzie: a Novel Auckland: Godwit, 1995 * ''Affairs'' 91 Mar (1971). ''Quote Unquote'' 22 April (1995) 30–31 Mr Halliday and the Circus Master. Auckland: David Ling Publishing, 1996 * ''Quote Unquote'' 41 Nov (1996) 30 * ''North and South'' 128 Nov (1996) 140–142 * ''New Zealand Books'' 7.1 Mar (1997) 10–11 My Name is Paradiso, Auckland: David Ling Publishing, 1995. * ''Quote Unquote'' 24 June (1995) 26 * ''Metro'' 169 July (1995) 117–119 * ''Landfall'' 190 Spring (1995) 360–362 * ''New Zealand Books'' 5.5 Dec (1995) 9-11 Penelope's Island, Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1990 * ''Metro'' 113 Nov (1990) 180–182 * ''New & Notable'' 7.5 Nov (1990) 5 The Glass Zoo, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1976 * ''Best Sellers'' 36 Sept (1976) 184-184 * ''Landfall'' 30 Sept (1976) 208–211 * ''Islands'' 5.1 Sept (1976) 100–102 The Mackenzie Affair, Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1972 Profile * Last of the fighting brigadiers, ''New Zealand Herald'' (1993) 2-2 * Last of the fighting brigadiers, ''The Press''(1993) 12 * Last of the fighting brigadiers, ''The Dominion'' (1993) 11 * The man between the rivers, ''Otago Daily Times'' (1993) 21 * ''New Zealand Geographic'' 8 Oct/Dec (1990) 18–41 * The man who made social medicine work (George McCall Smith, 1883–1958) ''The Listener'' April (1976) 20–21 * Review ''The Listener'' 1565 Oct (1969) 20 * ''The Dominion'' Oct (1993) 16 * ''Quote Unquote'' 38 Aug (1996) 30

Sources

Articles * Leek, Robert H., Home-grown vintage 73, ''Islands'' 2 Spring (1973) 315–318 * Four writers awarded scholarships, ''The Dominion'' (1989) 13 * Leigh, Jack, Circular journeys, ''The New Zealand Herald'' (1995) 6 * Mannion, Robert, A view to a killing, ''The Dominion'' (1997) 7 * Pennell, Graeme, Two faces of the same tragedy, ''Otago Daily Times'' (1997) 23 * Pennell, Graeme, Who pulled the trigger? David or Robin Bain? ''The New Zealand Herald'' (1997) 19 * Pennell, Graeme, Writers put Bain cases: murderer or victim? ''s18 The New Zealand Herald'' (1997) 17 Interviews * Haley, Russell, Underdogs and overdogs, ''New Outlook Autumn'' (1983) 18–20 * King, John, A Sicilian adventure, ''The Evening Post''(1995) 9–10 * Samson, Alan, ''Cold'', Mafia inspire new book, (1995) 9 * Nichol, Ruth, Skinning a pumpkin, ''Quote Unquote'' 24 June (1995) 27 * Kitchin, Peter, Madness, murder in family of misfits, ''The Evening Post'' (1997) 5 * Van Beynen, Martin, The Bain murders : a psychological mystery? (1997) 3 * Saker, Nicola, At the writers desk: James McNeish, ''Wellington City Magazine'' Summer (1986) 56 * McNeish – just a man who writes books, ''The Dominion'' (1989) 13 * Sharp, Iain, Ironies with wry detachment, ''New Zealand Books'' 5.5 Dec (1995) 9-11 * Bartel, Susan, National Library Fellow 1999: James McNeish, ''Off the Record'' 6 (1999) 4 Reviews * Penguin, ''NZ Weekly News'' 5311 (1965) 41 * McEldowney, Dennis, ''The Listener'' 65.1626 (1970) 16 * Jones, Lloyd, ''Landfall'' 25 March (1971) 93–103 * Simpson, Tony, ''Affairs'' 91 March (1971) * Cleveland, L., ''The Listener'' 71.1726 (1972) 56 * McEldowney, Dennis, ''Islands'' 2 Autumn (1973) 106–108 * Rea, Ken, ''Act'' 20 Aug (1973) 56–58 * King, Michael, ''NZ Bookworld'' 14 Feb/Mar (1975) 27 * Oppenheim, R., ''New Argot'' 3.1 Mar (1975) 4 * Fry, A., ''The Listener'' 79.1860 (1975) 50–51 * Bertram, James, ''The Listener'' 81.1898 (1976) 36–37 * Rhodes, H. Winston, ''Landfall'' 30 Sept (1976) 208–211 * Cunningham, Kevin, ''NZ Bookworld'' 25 June (1976) 19 * ''Observer'' (1976) 30 * ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' 91 (1976) 108 * ''TLS'' (''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'') (1976) 76 * ''

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 ...

'' 44 (1976) 343 * ''The Listener London'' 95 (1976) 108 * ''

Christian Science Monitor Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

'' 68 (1976) 27 * ''Best Sellers'' 36 Sept (1976) 184 * ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' 101 (1976)1798 * McEldowney, Dennis, ''Islands'' 5.1 Sept (1976) 100–102 * Sanderson, M., ''The Listener'' 87.1974 (1977) 76–77 * Owen, A., ''NZ Bookworld'' 45 Feb (1978) 21–22 * Lambrecht, Winifred, ''Library Journal'' 105 (1980) 1072 * Glatt, Carol R., ''Library Journal'' 105 (1980) 871 * ''Publishers Weekly'' 217 (1980) 101 * ''Kirkus Reviews'' 48 (1980) 192 * ''Publishers Weekly 217 (1980) 74 * ''Booklist'' 76 (1980) 1251 * ''Guardian Weekly'' 123 (1980) 21 * Stringer, Terry, ''Art'' New Auckland 15 (1980) 57 * Edmond, Lauris, ''New Outlook'' Dec (1983) 37 * Edmond, Lauris, ''New Outlook'' Dec 1983/Jan 1984 Dec/Jan (1983) 37 * Evans, P. ''Lipsync'' 103.2256 (1983) 98 * Gifkins, Michael, ''New Outlook'' Autumn (1983) 35 * Alpers, Antony, ''The Listener'' 2289.105 Dec (1983) 86 * Alpers, Antony, ''The Listener'' 105.2289 (1983) 86 * Theobald, G., ''PSA Journal'' 70.2 Mar (1983) 14 * Owens, J., ''Landfall'' 37 June (1983) 218–220 * ''NZ Wineglass'' 44 Dec (1984) 9 * Butterworth, S., ''The Listener'' 109.2343 (1985) 26 * King, Michael, ''Metro'' 6.66 Dec (1986) 269–273 * Robinson, Roger, ''The Listener'' 116.2465 (1987) 56 * Mowbray, Trevor, ''School Library Review'' 7.3 (1987) 16–26 * Fordyce, Stephen, ''New Zealand Runner'' 49 April (1987) 16 * Steinberg, Sybil, ''Publishers Weekly'' 233.20 (1988) 67 * Moffitt, D. ''New & Notable'' 7.5 Nov (1990) 5 * Crosbie, Sharon, ''The Dominion Sunday Times'' (1990) 13 * Brooke, Agnes Mary, ''The Press'' (1990) 27 * King, Michael, ''Metro'' 113 Nov (1990) 180–182 * Eggleton, David, ''The Evening Post'' (1990) 5 * Eggleton, David, ''Otago Daily Times'' (1990) 21 * Ireland, Kevin, ''The Dominion'' (1990) 7 * Lay, Graeme, ''The Listener'' 128.2641 (1990) 110–111 * Lay, Graeme, ''North and South'' Dec (1991) 119–123 * Burton, David, ''The Evening Post'' (1991) 5 * Palenski, Ron, ''The Dominion'' (1991) 9 * Swain, Pauline, ''The Dominion Sunday Times'' (1991) 22 * Wattie, Nelson, ''Landfall'' 45.3 Sept (1991) 368–370 * Griffiths, George, ''The Otago Daily Times'' (1992) 26 * Hill, David, ''The Listener'' (1995) 50 * Cooper, Ronda, ''Metro'' 169 July (1995) 117–119 * Lay, Graeme, ''North and South'' 110 May (1995) 128–132 * Smither, Elizabeth ''Quote Unquote'' 24 June (1995) 26 * Kroetsch, Laura. ''The Dominion'' (1995) 20 * King, John, ''The Evening Post'' (1995) 7 * Savage, Paul, ''The Press'' (1995) 11 * Broatch, Mark, ''Quote Unquote'' 22 April (1995) 30–31 * Jensen, Kai, ''Landfall'' 190 Spring (1995) 360–362 * James, Bryan, ''The Otago Daily Times'' (1995) 28 * Sharp, Iain, ''New Zealand Books'' 5.5 Dec (1995) 9-11 * ''The New Zealand Herald'' (1995) 6 * Cross, Ian, ''The Listener'' (1996) 47 * Simpson, Tony, ''The Dominion'' (1996) 20 * Scott, Bede, ''The Sunday Star Times'' (1996) 4 * McLauchlan, Gordon, ''The New Zealand Herald'' (1996) 8 * McLean, Gavin, ''The Otago Daily Times'' (1996) 22 * Stratford, Stephen, ''Quote Unquote'' 41 Nov (1996) 30 * Burnard, Trevor. ''The Press'' (1996) 16 * Eggleton, David, ''The Evening Post'' (1996) 7 * Lay, Graeme, ''North and South'' 128 Nov (1996) 140–142 * Cooper, Ronda, ''Metro'' 184 Oct (1996) 117–120 * Lay, Graeme, ''North and South'' 137 Aug (1997) 132–134 * Warner, Howard, ''New Zealand Books'' 7.1 Mar (1997) 10–11 * Van Beynen, Martin, ''The Press'' (1997) 16 * Kitchin, Peter, ''The Evening Post'' (1997) 7 * Richards, Ian, ''The Listener'' (1998) 45 * Prebble, Ray, ''The Evening Post'' (1998) 5 * Hill, David, ''The Dominion'' (1998) 20 * Ireland, Kevin, ''The New Zealand Herald'' (1998) 6 * Sandra K. Bogart ''NZHerald.co.nz'' (2007) 16 July * Eugene Bingham ''NZHerald.co.nz'' (2007) 8 September * Hill, David, ''NZHerald.co.nz'' (2010) 20 July

References

External links

Berlin Residency
awarded by

New Zealand Literature File (Auckland University): James McNeish
at

New Zealand Book Council Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly the New Zealand Book Council) is a not-for-profit organisation that presents a wide range of programmes to promote books and reading in New Zealand. History It was established in 1972 as a response to UNESCO's ...

Playmarket Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeish, James 1931 births 2016 deaths New Zealand male novelists New Zealand crime fiction writers University of Auckland alumni New Zealand non-fiction writers 20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights New Zealand biographers Male biographers 20th-century New Zealand novelists 20th-century biographers New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit People educated at Auckland Grammar School 20th-century New Zealand male writers Male non-fiction writers