John Guthrie (novelist)

John Guthrie (9 July 1905 – 14 March 1955), real name John Brodie, was a New Zealand journalist and novelist from New Plymouth who moved to London in 1938. He wrote several novels about New Zealand and New Plymouth.

He was born in New Plymouth and educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School and at Canterbury University College (BA and Diploma in Journalism). While studying at Canterbury College aged 26, he suffered a broken leg in a rugby accident and the leg subsequently had to be amputated; he had been regarded as a potential All Black to represent New Zealand.

He wrote his first novel ''The Little Country'' about pioneer life in 19th century New Plymouth while recovering in bed from the rugby accident. Together with ''Paradise Bay'', they are regarded as New Zealand classics; the English critic Marghanita Laski wrote that ''Paradise Bay'' was ''"an excellent book and a potential New Zealand classic if ever there was one"''. However, ''Paradise Bay'' has been called ''"thin and contrived"'' by comparison with his first novel. The novel ''The Seekers'' was filmed in 1954 as The Seekers. Along with ''The Little Country'', both novels were controversial in New Plymouth as some locals thought they recognised themselves in the novels.

He moved to London in 1938, and in World War II was an Intelligence Officer in the Royal Air Force. Postwar in London, he edited ''Books of Today'' and then was assistant editor of ''World's Press News''.

He married his American wife Elinor Roddam in 1952; they had no children. While returning to England from a ten weeks visit to New Zealand, he died at sea from coronary thrombosis on the liner ''Rangitikei''. ''The Times'' reported that "Mr John Brodie, a New Zealand novelist who wrote under the pen name "John Guthrie" died at sea suddenly on Monday evening at the age of 49".

Novels and other books by John Guthrie (John Brodie)

*''The little country'' (1935)
*''So they began'' (1936)
*''The man in the shadows'' (1937) short story, published in magazine ''The Grand'', April 1937 Listing by National Library
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*''The man in our lives'' (1946) a biography of his father
*''Journey by twilight'' (1949)
*''Merry-go-round'' (1950)
*''Is this what I wanted'' (1950)
*''The Seekers'' (1952). A film of the book was made in 1954.
*''Paradise Bay'' (1952)

References

* Obituary in the ''Evening Post'', Wellington of 16 March 1955.
* ''The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature'', edited by Roger Robinson & Nelson Wattie (1998, Oxford University Press, Auckland)

External links

Photo of John Brodie

''John Brodie: Taranaki's neglected author'' from Puki Ariki

Review of ''The little country'' from the ''New Zealand Herald'' of 20 July 1935 p9Review of ''The little country'' from the ''Auckland Star'' of 27 July 1935 p2





* Rhonda Bartle:
Taranaki Story - John Brodie – New Plymouth’s neglected author
', 1 April 2005.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guthrie, John
1905 births
1955 deaths
New Zealand male novelists
English male journalists
20th-century English novelists
People from New Plymouth
People educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School
University of Canterbury alumni
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
20th-century New Zealand novelists
English male novelists
20th-century English male writers
New Zealand amputees
Deaths from coronary thrombosis
20th-century New Zealand journalists
New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom