Michael King Fellow announced

Announcement from Creative New Zealand

Leading New Zealand author Fiona Farrell has been awarded the $100,000 Creative New Zealand Michael King Writer’s Fellowship to research and write twin books, one fiction and one non-fiction, inspired by her experiences of the Christchurch earthquakes.

Since the quakes struck, Farrell has felt “like a photographer who, after living quietly in Armentieres taking portraits of local dignitaries or photographing wild flowers, suddenly finds that they are caught up in the midst of the action. It’s frequently deeply disturbing, but there is a compulsion to record”.
Farrell’s twin books, both titled The Villa at the Edge of the Empire, will begin with the reconstruction of a city after a disaster, the author says. “The non-fiction book will place the reconstruction in a broad historical and geographic framework, while the fiction book will offer an intimate, emotional perspective.”

The Creative New Zealand Michael King Writer’s Fellowship is one of New Zealand’s largest writing fellowships and supports established writers to work on a major project over two or more years.

There were many applications of a very high calibre for this year’s fellowship, says Creative New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Stephen Wainwright. “This is a fantastic opportunity to support one of New Zealand’s leading writers to record an in-depth intellectual and emotional response to the rebuild of Christchurch."

My sincere congratulations to Fiona Farrell.