The thing about short stories is that there is nowhere to hide. A short story has to work hard, saying a lot by saying very little. Whether she is writing about or from the perspective of a little girl, a spurned lover, an ageing madam, or, astonishingly, a toroa (albatross), Beautrais nails an authentic voice each time. With a spiky confidence and knowing, mordant humour, Beautrais writes with a crushing and witty eye on humanity at its most troubled and askew.
We all agreed it’s a tightly wound and remarkably assured collection that sustains a vice-like grip from start to finish. These atmospheric short stories evoke a strong sense of quiet unease, a dark underbelly, slow burning rage as well as the absurdly comic. Scrutinising the female experience from a dazzling multitude of angles and voices, each story crackles with raw power and a bracing energy. Bug Week is a beautifully observed and fierce punch in the guts.
Northland photographer Jane Ussher finalist in NZ s top book awards
3 Mar, 2021 04:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Acclaimed photographer and Kerikeri resident Jane Ussher is a finalist in New Zealand s most prestigious book awards. Photo / supplied
Acclaimed photographer and Kerikeri resident Jane Ussher is a finalist in New Zealand s most prestigious book awards. Photo / supplied
A Northland photographer has made the shortlist for New Zealand s most prestigious book awards.
Finalists for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, which were announced yesterday, include Nature – Stilled by Jane Ussher.
The Kerikeri photographer s book, which captures specimens from Te Papa s natural history collection, is one of four in the category for illustrated non-fiction.
Press Release – Ockham Book Awards
The shortlist for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, released today, is a dazzling reflection of the robust, innovative literature scene of Aotearoa New Zealand, revealing a deeper engagement with our culturally diverse society.
In the Fiction category, two past winners are vying for the same award. Catherine Chidgey and Pip Adam are both contenders for the $57,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, alongside Brannavan Gnanalingam, a previous nominee, and the critically acclaimed story writer Airini Beautrais.
The works on the Fiction shortlist explore the range of human experience, from the ‘wilful blindness’ of Nazi-occupied Germany demonstrated in
A collection of “unhappy love stories”, 10 years in the making is in contention for New Zealand’s top fiction prize – though its author says she has already had her happy ever after. Bug Week & Other Stories, the debut short-story collection by writer and poet Airini Beautrais, is one of four works shortlisted in the fiction category at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Beautrais told the Guardian that she was pleased to have made the.