Maurice Gough Gee (born 22 August 1931) is a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
novelist. He is one of New Zealand's most distinguished and prolific authors, having written over thirty novels for adults and children, and has won numerous awards both in New Zealand and overseas, including multiple top prizes at the
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 ...
, the
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Unit ...
in the UK, 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 literary awards. Named after Katherin ...
, 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 ...
and a
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 2003 he was recognised as one of New Zealand's greatest living artists across all disciplines by the
Arts Foundation of New Zealand
'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists.
The concept ...
, which presented him with an
Icon Award.
Gee's novel ''
Plumb
Plumb may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Plumb'', a 1995 album by Jonatha Brooke & The Story
* ''Plumb'' (Plumb album), 1997
* ''Plumb'' (Field Music album), 2012
* , by Romanian poet George Bacovia
People
* Plumb (surname)
* P ...
'' (1978) is considered one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand. He is also well-known for children's and young adult fiction such as ''
Under the Mountain
''Under the Mountain'' is a 1979 children's book by New Zealand writer Maurice Gee. It has been adapted into a 1981 television miniseries, a 2009 film and stage show.
Plot
Beneath the extinct volcanoes surrounding the city, giant creature ...
'' (1979). He has won multiple top prizes at the
New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governm ...
and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious
Margaret Mahy Award
The Margaret Mahy Award, officially the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award, is a New Zealand literary prize presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to children's literature, publishing or literacy. Presented ann ...
by the Children's Literature Foundation in recognition of his contributions to children's literature.
Early life and education
Gee was born in
Whakatane,
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...
, and brought up in
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
People
*Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
*Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
Australia
*Henderson, Western Australia
Canada
* H ...
, a suburb of Auckland, a location that frequently features in his writing.
His mother, Harriet Lyndahl Gee (), was a socialist and an aspiring writer who had some of her work published, including a children's picture book called ''Mihi and the Last of the Moas'' (1943),
and his father, Leonard Gee, was a carpenter. He was the middle child of their three sons.
Gee was also the grandson of controversial Presbyterian-turned-Unitarian minister
James Chapple, later to be the inspiration for Gee's character George Plumb in his ''Plumb'' trilogy (1978).
Gee attended
Henderson Primary School and
Avondale College
Avondale College is a state coeducational secondary school located in the central Auckland, New Zealand, suburb of Avondale. With a roll of students from Years 9–13 (ages 12–18), it is the third largest secondary school in New Zealand.
...
, and completed
BA and
MA degrees at the
University of Auckland
, 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 ...
, which subsequently recognised him with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998, and an honorary
Doctorate of Literature in 2004.
He also received an honorary Doctorate of Literature from
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well know ...
in 1987.
Literary career
Early career: 1950 to 1977
Gee began writing at university, and had short stories published in New Zealand journals ''
Landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
'' and ''Mate''.
After finishing his MA he taught in the secondary department of
Paeroa District High School for about 18 months, starting in February 1955, but resigned in July 1956 to focus on his writing.
In January 1960 and December 1961 he was awarded literary grants by the New Zealand Literary Fund.
His first published novel was ''The Big Season'' (1962), a novel about a rugby player who becomes interested in a burglar and the burglar's girlfriend. It had themes of violence and tension, and was described by ''
The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
'' as "not always pleasant, but certainly forceful and sincere". Gee himself was a keen rugby player and the games in the novel were inspired by his own experiences.
In 1964, Gee was the sixth recipient of 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 u ...
, one of New Zealand's most prestigious literary awards.
During this fellowship he wrote his second novel, ''A Special Flower'' (1965). After the fellowship he trained as a librarian and in the 1960s and 1970s worked at the
Alexander Turnbull Library
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 ...
, the
Napier library and several libraries in Auckland.
His third novel, ''
In My Father's Den'', a mystery novel, was published in 1972. This novel was later adapted into the critically acclaimed
film of the same name by director
Brad McGann
Brad McGann MNZM (22 February 1964 – 2 May 2007), was a New Zealand film director and screenwriter.
McGann was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1964. He completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Otago and in 1988 com ...
in 2004. Gee followed this novel with a collection of short stories, ''A Glorious Morning, Comrade'' (1974), which won the prize for fiction at the 1976
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 ...
,
and a further novel ''Games of Choice'' (1976).
''Plumb'' and children's fiction: 1978 to 1991
Gee's novel ''
Plumb
Plumb may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Plumb'', a 1995 album by Jonatha Brooke & The Story
* ''Plumb'' (Plumb album), 1997
* ''Plumb'' (Field Music album), 2012
* , by Romanian poet George Bacovia
People
* Plumb (surname)
* P ...
'', published in 1978, is his best-known work for adults, and is considered one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand.
In 2018, fifty New Zealand literary experts voted it to be the best novel of the last fifty years.
Gee has described it as his "grandfather novel", with the character George Plumb closely based on his mother's father James Chapple, particularly his early life and his trials for
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
and
seditious utterance.
It won the
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Unit ...
in the UK,
and the top prize for fiction at both the
Goodman Fielder Wattie 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 ...
and the New Zealand Book Awards in 1979.
The novel and its two sequels, ''Meg'' (1981) and ''Sole Survivor'' (1983), explore the impacts of history, politics and religion on one family from the perspectives of different members.
''Meg'' won the top prize for fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards in 1982.
At this time Gee also published his first children's novel, ''
Under the Mountain
''Under the Mountain'' is a 1979 children's book by New Zealand writer Maurice Gee. It has been adapted into a 1981 television miniseries, a 2009 film and stage show.
Plot
Beneath the extinct volcanoes surrounding the city, giant creature ...
'' (1979), a science fiction story set in Auckland, New Zealand, about 11-year-old twins who discover aliens under volcanic
Lake Pupuke
Lake Pupuke (traditionally known in Māori as Pupukemoana) is a heart-shaped freshwater lake occupying a volcanic crater (or maar) between the suburbs of Takapuna and Milford on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The heart shape is a re ...
. It has remained in print since it was published and is considered a New Zealand classic.
It has been adapted into a
1981 television miniseries, a
2009 film and a stage show.
In 2004 ''Under the Mountain'' was the recipient of the
Gaelyn Gordon Award
The Gaelyn Gordon Award is awarded annually by the Children's Literature Foundation (now called the Storylines Children's Literature Foundation) to a well-loved work of New Zealand children's fiction.
History
This award is named after Gaelyn Go ...
, awarded annually to a "much-loved" New Zealand children's book that did not win any awards at the time of its publication.
It was followed by other children's books, including notably the science fiction trilogy beginning with ''The Halfmen of O'' (1982), which won the
AIM Children's Book Awards
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governme ...
Book of the Year Award in 1983,
and ''Motherstone'' (1985), which was awarded the
Esther Glen Award
The Esther Glen Award, or LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award, is the longest running and the most renowned literary award, literary prize for New Zealand children's literature.
History
The prize was called into being in memory of New Zeal ...
by
LIANZA.
In order to improve his income, Gee began working in television writing, including writing for 11 episodes of soap opera
''Close to Home'' and episodes of police drama ''
Mortimer's Patch
''Mortimer's Patch'' was a popular TVNZ police drama from the early 1980s. It featured actors Terence Cooper, Sean Duffy, Don Selwyn and Jim Hickey and depicted detective and police work in the fictional town of "Cobham". It was filmed in a ...
''.
Two of his children's books, ''The Fire-Raiser'' (1986) and ''The Champion'' (1989) originated as television projects.
''The Champion'' was shortlisted for the 1990 Esther Glen Award.
In 1987 he was recognised by
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well know ...
with the award of an honorary Doctorate of Literature, and in 1989 he held a Victoria University writing fellowship.
Around this time he wrote two adult novels set in
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
: ''Prowlers'' (1987) and ''The Burning Boy'' (1990). ''The Burning Boy'' was awarded the top prize for fiction at the 1991 New Zealand Book Awards.
Later career and legacy: 1992 to present
![Maurice Gee Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Maurice_Gee_Plaque.jpg)
The publication of Gee's tenth novel, ''
Going West'' (1992), cemented his reputation as one of the best writers in New Zealand.
It is the most autobiographical of Gee's fictional novels, and the fictional town of Loomis, in which the novel is set, has many similarities to Henderson, Auckland, where Gee grew up.
The novel was the inspiration for the
Going West Books & Writers Festival, Auckland's first literary festival, which has been held since 1996. It won the top prize for fiction at the 1993 Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards.
In 1993,
Andro Linklater
Andro Ian Robert Linklater (10 December 1944 – 3 November 2013) was a Scottish non-fiction writer and historian.
Life
He was the youngest son of Eric Linklater, a poet, and Marjorie MacIntyre, an arts campaigner. His brother is journalist, Ma ...
, writing in British newspaper ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'', said that "Gee deserves to be regarded as one of the finest writers at work, not only in New Zealand ... but in the English speaking world".
Gee was the 1992 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 literary awards. Named after Katherin ...
, a literary fellowship that enables the recipient to work in
Menton
Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border.
Me ...
, France, for part of the year, where
Katherine Mansfield
Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebra ...
herself lived and worked in the early 20th century.
During his time in Menton, Gee wrote the novel ''Crime Story'',
which was published in 1994. A decade later it was adapted by
Larry Parr into the 2004 film ''
Fracture
Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...
''. The film was praised by Christchurch newspaper ''
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 ...
'' as "competent, confident and complex".
''The Fat Man'' (1994) won the AIM Children's Book of the Year award and the Esther Glen Award.
It was controversial for its content and portrayal of violence, with Gee himself describing it as a "psychological thriller for children".
In 1998 he published ''Living Bodies'', a novel for adults that was awarded both the top prize for fiction and the Deutz Medal at the
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 ...
that year.
Other notable works in the late 1990s included the children's books ''Orchard Street'' (1998) and ''Hostel Girl'' (1999).
His contributions to New Zealand children's literature were recognised by the Children's Literature Foundation in 2002 which presented him with the prestigious
Margaret Mahy Award
The Margaret Mahy Award, officially the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award, is a New Zealand literary prize presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to children's literature, publishing or literacy. Presented ann ...
.
In the early 2000s, Gee's novels included ''Ellie and the Shadow Man'' (2001), which was short-listed for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 2002, and ''The Scornful Moon'' (2003), which was short-listed for Best Book in the South Pacific & South East Asian Region of the 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 ...
and a runner-up in the fiction category at the 2004 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
Gee also received two prestigious awards: in 2003 he was named as one of New Zealand's greatest living artists by the
Arts Foundation of New Zealand
'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists.
The concept ...
through the presentation of an
Icon Award (recipients being limited to a living circle of 20),
and in 2004 he received a 60,000
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 ...
for fiction.
His 2005 novel ''Blindsight'' won the Deutz Medal, the top prize for fiction and (jointly) the Readers' Choice Award at the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
His 2007 novel ''Salt'' won the award for young adult fiction at the
New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governme ...
.
''Salt'' and its sequel, ''Gool'', were both listed as
Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Books.
The third novel in the trilogy, ''The Limping Man'' (2010), was a finalist in the young adult fiction category at the
New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governm ...
.
In 2012, he was the inaugural Honoured New Zealand Writer at the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival.
In 2015,
Rachel Barrowman
Rachel Barrowman (born 1963) is a New Zealand author and historian, with a focus on New Zealand cultural and intellectual history.
Career
Barrowman's biography of R.A.K. Mason, ''Mason: The Life of R.A.K. Mason'', won the 2004 Montana New Zeal ...
's biography of Gee, ''Maurice Gee: Life and Work'', was published by
Victoria University Press
Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books.
History
Vi ...
. The book was critically well-received, and Gee said Barrowman's research was "thorough, unrelenting, illuminating — illuminating even for me".
Although Gee said in 2012 that he did not expect to write another novel, ''The Severed Land'' was published in 2017, and received the top award for young adult fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in that same year.
In 2018 Gee published his memoir ''Memory Pieces''. The memoir is in three parts: the first about his parents' lives, the second about his own childhood and adolescent years, and the third about his wife. He said it is "almost certainly" going to be his last book.
It was shortlisted for the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction at the 2019
Ockham 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 ...
.
Style and themes
Gee's novels are commonly set in New Zealand, often in fictitious versions of Henderson, where he grew up.
His adult novels tend to be realistic portrayals of New Zealand life, often featuring dysfunctional families and relationships, while his children's and young adult novels tend to be fantasies or science fiction.
Even in his children's novels, his writing often features bleak or tragic moments.
The ''Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature'' (2006) said that each of Gee's novels "bountifully gives us a rich vision of some region and aspect of New Zealand life, and of human life in general ... Yet there is always an awareness of living at the edge of an abyss: one false move and we shall leave this abundance for nothingness."
Personal life
Gee had a seven-year relationship with Hera Smith, with whom he had a son, Nigel, in September 1959. They separated in the 1960s.
Gee married his wife Margareta in 1970, having met in 1966 at the
Alexander Turnbull Library
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 ...
where she worked.
They have two adult daughters together, Abigail and
Emily. Abigail works as an animator, and Emily is a writer who has published fantasy and historical novels.
Gee said in 2018 that meeting Margareta changed his life: "I was 38 when we got together and was drifting and wasting my time and only pretending to be a writer. She brought stability of every kind into my life – and as I point out in ''Running on the Stairs'', two novels and a handful of stories before meeting her, more than 30 novels since."
he lives in Nelson with his wife and considers himself to be retired from writing.
Gee considers himself an
evolutionary humanist.
He is an Honorary Associate of the
New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists
New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists (or NZARH) is an organisation, established in 1927 in New Zealand for the promotion of rationalism and secular humanism.
The principal aims are stated as:
* To advocate a rational, humane, an ...
.
Awards and honours
*1960: Literary grant from the New Zealand Literary Fund
*1961: Scholarship in Letters from the New Zealand Literary Fund
*1964:
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
*1978:
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Unit ...
for ''Plumb'' (1978)
*1979: 1st Prize for Fiction at the
Goodman Fielder Wattie 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 ...
for ''Plumb'' (1978)
*1979: Fiction Prize at the
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 ...
for ''Plumb'' (1978)
*1983:
AIM Children's Book Awards
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governme ...
Book of the Year for ''The Halfmen of O'' (1982)
*1986:
Esther Glen Award
The Esther Glen Award, or LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award, is the longest running and the most renowned literary award, literary prize for New Zealand children's literature.
History
The prize was called into being in memory of New Zeal ...
for ''Motherstone'' (1985)
*1987: Honorary Doctorate of Literature from
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
The university is well know ...
*1989: Victoria University of Wellington Writing Fellowship
*1992:
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 literary awards. Named after Katherin ...
*1993: 1st Prize for Fiction at the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards for ''Going West'' (1993)
*1995: Esther Glen Award for ''The Fat Man'' (1995)
*1995: AIM Children's Book Awards Book of the Year for ''The Fat Man'' (1995)
*1998: Deutz Medal for fiction at the
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 ...
for ''Live Bodies'' (1998)
*2002:
Margaret Mahy Award
The Margaret Mahy Award, officially the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award, is a New Zealand literary prize presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to children's literature, publishing or literacy. Presented ann ...
for significant contributions to children's literature
*2003: Named an
Arts Foundation Icon in 2003
*2004:
Gaelyn Gordon Award
The Gaelyn Gordon Award is awarded annually by the Children's Literature Foundation (now called the Storylines Children's Literature Foundation) to a well-loved work of New Zealand children's fiction.
History
This award is named after Gaelyn Go ...
for ''Under the Mountain''
*2004: $60,000
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 ...
for fiction
*2004: Honorary Doctorate of Literature from the University of Auckland
*2006: Deutz Medal for Fiction at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards for ''Blindsight'' (2005)
*2008:
New Zealand Post Young Adult Fiction Award for ''Salt'' (2007)
*2017:
New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governm ...
Copyright Licensing NZ Award for Young Adult Fiction for ''The Severed Land'' (2017)
Adaptations
; Feature Films
* ''
Fracture
Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...
'' (2004) based on ''Crime Story''
* ''
In My Father's Den'' (2004)
* ''
Under the Mountain
''Under the Mountain'' is a 1979 children's book by New Zealand writer Maurice Gee. It has been adapted into a 1981 television miniseries, a 2009 film and stage show.
Plot
Beneath the extinct volcanoes surrounding the city, giant creature ...
'' (2009)
; Television
* ''
Under the Mountain
''Under the Mountain'' is a 1979 children's book by New Zealand writer Maurice Gee. It has been adapted into a 1981 television miniseries, a 2009 film and stage show.
Plot
Beneath the extinct volcanoes surrounding the city, giant creature ...
'' (1981) eight-part miniseries
; Theatre
* ''Under the Mountain'' theatrical play by
Auckland Theatre Company
Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) is a professional theatre company in Auckland. It was founded in 1992 and since 2016 has been based in ASB Waterfront Theatre in the Wynyard Quarter in central Auckland.
History
Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) wa ...
. Playwright Pip Hall, directed by Sara Brodie (2018)
Bibliography
Novels and non-fiction
*''The Big Season''. London: Hutchinson, 1962. London: Arrow, 1964. Wellington: Allen & Unwin, 1985.
*''A Special Flower''. London: Hutchinson, 1965.
*''
In My Father's Den''. London: Faber, 1972. Auckland: Oxford UP, 1978.
*''A Glorious Morning, Comrade''. Auckland: Auckland UP and Oxford UP, 1975.
*''Games of Choice''. London: Faber, 1976. Auckland: Oxford UP, 1978.
*''
Plumb
Plumb may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Plumb'', a 1995 album by Jonatha Brooke & The Story
* ''Plumb'' (Plumb album), 1997
* ''Plumb'' (Field Music album), 2012
* , by Romanian poet George Bacovia
People
* Plumb (surname)
* P ...
''. London: Faber, 1978. Auckland: Oxford UP, 1979
(Part 1 of the ''Plumb'' trilogy).
*''
Under the Mountain
''Under the Mountain'' is a 1979 children's book by New Zealand writer Maurice Gee. It has been adapted into a 1981 television miniseries, a 2009 film and stage show.
Plot
Beneath the extinct volcanoes surrounding the city, giant creature ...
''. Wellington: Oxford UP, 1979.
*''The World Around the Corner''. Wellington: Oxford UP, 1980.
*''Meg''. London: Faber, 1981. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1982. Auckland: Penguin
(Part 2 of the ''Plumb'' trilogy).
*''The Halfmen of O''. Auckland: Oxford UP, 1982. Harmondsworth: Puffin, 1986.
*''Sole Survivor''. London: Faber, 1983. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983. Auckland: Penguin, 1983
(Part 3 of the ''Plumb'' trilogy).
*''The Priests of Ferris.'' Auckland: Oxford UP, 1984.
*''Motherstone''. Auckland: Oxford UP, 1985.
*''The Fire-Raiser''. Auckland: Puffin, 1986.
*''Collected Stories''. Auckland: Penguin, 1986. New York: Penguin, 1987.
*''Prowlers.'' London and Boston: Faber, 1987.
*''The Champion''. Auckland: Puffin, 1989; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
*''The Burning Boy''. London: Faber, 1990, 1992; Auckland: Viking, 1990.
*''Going West''. Auckland: Viking, 1992; London: Faber, 1992; Auckland: Penguin, 2000.
*''Crime Story''.Auckland: Penguin Books, 1994; Auckland: Viking, 1994; London: Faber, 1995.
*''The Fat Man''. Auckland: Viking, 1994; Auckland: Puffin, 2000; Auckland: Puffin, 2008.
*''Plumb Trilogy''. Auckland: Penguin, 1995 (''Plumb, Meg, & Sole Survivor'').
*''Loving Ways''. Auckland: Penguin, 1996.
*''Live Bodies''. Auckland: Penguin, 1998; London: Faber, 1998; Scheuring: Black Ink, 2002 (German edition).
*''Orchard Street''. Auckland: Viking, 1998.
*''Hostel Girl''. Auckland: Puffin, 1999.
*''Ellie and the Shadow Man''. Auckland: Penguin, 2001.
*''The Scornful Moon''. Auckland: Penguin, 2003.
*''Blindsight''. Auckland: Penguin, 2005.
*''Salt''. Auckland: Puffin, 2007.
*''Gool''. Auckland: Puffin, 2008.
*''Access Road''. Auckland: Penguin, 2009.
*''The Limping Man''. Auckland: Puffin, 2010.
*''The Severed Land''. Auckland: Penguin Random House, 2017.
*''Memory Pieces''. Wellington: Victoria University Press, 2018.
Short stories: first publication
*"In at the Death", ''Kiwi'' (1955): 21–26.
*"The Widow",
''Landfall'' 9 (1955): 196–213. In GMC, CS.
*"Evening at Home", ''Arena'' 45 (1956): 23–24.
*"The Quarry", ''Arena'' 46 (1957): 6–10, 13.
*"A Sleeping Face", ''Landfall'' 11 (1957): 194–221. In GMC, CS.
*"A Girl in Blue", ''Mate'' 2 (1958): 10–19.
*"While the Flag was Up", ''Arena'' 50 (1958–59): 13–17, 28.
*"The Losers", ''Landfall'' 13 (1959): 120–47. In ''Landfall Country: Work from Landfall, 1947–1961''. Christchurch: Caxton Press, 1962, 24–56. In ''New Zealand Short Stories, Second Series''. Ed. C. K. Stead. London: Oxford UP, 1966, 255–95. In GMC, CS.
*"Facade", ''Mate'' 4 (1960): 26–33.
*"Schooldays", ''Mate'' December 1960: 2–11. In GMC, CS.
*"The Champion", ''Landfall'' 20 (1966): 113–25. In GMC, CS.
*"Down in the World", ''Landfall'' 21 (1967): 296–302. In GMC, CS.
*"A Retired Life", ''Landfall'' 23 (1969): 101–16. In GMC, CS.
See also
*
New Zealand literature
New Zealand literature is literature, both oral and written, produced by the people of New Zealand. It often deals with New Zealand themes, people or places, is written predominantly in New Zealand English, and features Māori culture and the u ...
Notes
External links
* More information about Maurice Gee's life and works is available a
Read NZ Te Pou Muramura* Academic essay with citations
Dickensian grotesque in Maurice Gee's "The Fat Man"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gee, Maurice
1931 births
Living people
James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients
New Zealand humanists
New Zealand male novelists
New Zealand crime fiction writers
New Zealand children's writers
People from Whakatāne
University of Auckland alumni
20th-century New Zealand novelists
21st-century New Zealand novelists
People educated at Avondale College
20th-century New Zealand male writers
21st-century New Zealand male writers
People from Auckland