Catherine Chidgey
Encyclopedia
Catherine Chidgey was born in New Zealand
in 1970 and grew up in the Hutt Valley. She has degrees in creative writing, psychology
, and German
literature.
In 1997 Catherine was awarded the Adam Foundation Prize for her portfolio produced during study with Bill Manhire
at Victoria University of Wellington
's Creative Writing Programme. Her debut novel
, In a fishbone church, was published in 1998 and has been widely praised in New Zealand and overseas, winning the Hubert Church Award for Best First Book of Fiction in The Montana NZ Book Awards in 1998. In 1999 In a fishbone church won the South East Asia and Pacific Region Prize in the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Novel, a Betty Trask Prize for a first book (UK) and was included in the Orange Prize for Fiction
(UK) longlist. Her second novel, Golden Deeds was published in 2000, and was runner-up for the Deutz Medal for Fiction in the 2000 The Montana NZ Book Awards. It has been published by Picador
in the UK and under the title The Strength of the Sun in the US, where it was a The New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year'. In 2003 she was named New Zealand's best novelist under forty. The Transformation, Catherine's third novel, was published in November 2003.
Chidgey’s honours include the Glenn Schaeffer Prize in Modern Letters; the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield
Fellowship to Menton, France; the Todd New Writers’ Bursary; the Ursula Bethell Residency in Creative Writing at the University of Canterbury
; and the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship. Chidgey lives near Hamilton
in New Zealand.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1970 and grew up in the Hutt Valley. She has degrees in creative writing, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
literature.
In 1997 Catherine was awarded the Adam Foundation Prize for her portfolio produced during study with Bill Manhire
Bill Manhire
William "Bill" Manhire, CNZM is an award-winning New Zealand poet, short story writer, and professor, New Zealand's inaugural Poet Laureate.-Biography:...
at Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
's Creative Writing Programme. Her debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, In a fishbone church, was published in 1998 and has been widely praised in New Zealand and overseas, winning the Hubert Church Award for Best First Book of Fiction in The Montana NZ Book Awards in 1998. In 1999 In a fishbone church won the South East Asia and Pacific Region Prize in the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Novel, a Betty Trask Prize for a first book (UK) and was included in the Orange Prize for Fiction
Orange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
(UK) longlist. Her second novel, Golden Deeds was published in 2000, and was runner-up for the Deutz Medal for Fiction in the 2000 The Montana NZ Book Awards. It has been published by Picador
Picador (imprint)
Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
in the UK and under the title The Strength of the Sun in the US, where it was a The New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year'. In 2003 she was named New Zealand's best novelist under forty. The Transformation, Catherine's third novel, was published in November 2003.
Chidgey’s honours include the Glenn Schaeffer Prize in Modern Letters; the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp Murry was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand and wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield. Mansfield left for Great Britain in 1908 where she encountered Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and...
Fellowship to Menton, France; the Todd New Writers’ Bursary; the Ursula Bethell Residency in Creative Writing at the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
; and the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship. Chidgey lives near Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
in New Zealand.