Elizabeth Knox

Elizabeth Fiona Knox CNZM (born 15 February 1959) is a New Zealand writer. She has authored several novels for both adults and teenagers, autobiographical novellas, and a collection of essays. One of her best-known works is The Vintner's Luck (1998), which won several awards, has been published in ten languages,[1] and was made into a film of the same name by Niki Caro in 2009. Knox is also known for her young adult literary fantasy series, Dreamhunter Duet. Her most recent novels are Mortal Fire and Wake, both published in 2013, and The Absolute Book, published in 2019.

Elizabeth Knox

CNZM
Knox in 2021
Knox in 2021
Born (1959-02-15) 15 February 1959
Wellington, New Zealand
OccupationWriter
NationalityNew Zealander
Period1987–
Notable worksThe Vintner's Luck (1998)
SpouseFergus Barrowman
Children1
Website
www.elizabethknox.com

Early life

Knox was born in Wellington, New Zealand. She and her two sisters were raised by atheist parents in a household where religion was often debated.[2] They spent their childhood living in various small suburbs of Wellington, including Pomare, Wadestown, Waikanae and Paremata.[1] She went to high school at Tawa College,[1] and later published a trilogy of novellas that were influenced by her childhood experiences of living in and around Wellington.[3][4]

Knox enjoyed inventing stories as a child, and was an avid reader,[5] but had difficulties with writing because she was slightly dyslexic.[2] When she was eleven she created an oral narrative history with her younger sister Sara and its characters and plot evolved based on their input along with the input of their older sister, Mary, and their friend, Carol.[6] It became an elaborate imaginary world with many characters, intricate plot lines, and involvements. When she was sixteen, Knox's father overheard a discussion between her, her sisters, and Carol regarding the consequences of a secret treaty set in their imaginary world and remarked that he hoped they were writing this down.[1] Following this, they all tried "writing stories about, letters between, and poems by their characters"[6] and Knox enjoyed it so much that she decided she would like to be a writer.[7]

Career

Early career: 1983–1997

In 1983, when Knox was 24, she started a degree in English Literature at Victoria University of Wellington. A year later, she started work on After Z-Hour in Bill Manhire's Original Composition course at Victoria.[1] The novel is about the ghost of a World War I soldier, and it was inspired by a childhood memory; at age eleven Knox fell from a walnut tree on Anzac Day, and while in the hospital she overheard a conversation between an older man and her father about Passchendaele and life on the Salient in 1917.[8] Bill Manhire encouraged her to write her novel, and told her he would be more interested in seeing her complete it, than her degree. After Z-Hour was published in 1987 by Victoria University Press,[9] and Knox graduated from Victoria University of Wellington the same year. She was also awarded the ICI Young Writers Bursary award that year.[1]

In 1988 Knox, Fergus Barrowman, Nigel Cox, and Damien Wilkins, with the help of Bill Manhire, Alan Preston and Andrew Mason, co-founded the literary journal Sport.[10] Knox was one of its editors and has been a frequent contributor to the magazine.[3]

Her second and third novels, Treasure (1992)[11] and Glamour and the Sea (1996),[12] were both set in Wellington; the former was about a religious community while the latter was a mystery novel set in the 1940s.[3] Alongside these novels, Knox also wrote a trilogy of novellas based on her own experiences growing up in Wellington: Paremata (1989), Pomare (1994), and Tawa (1998),[3] later published in the compilation The High Jump: A New Zealand Childhood (2000).[4] She was the recipient of the Victoria University of Wellington Writing Fellowship in 1997.[3][13]

The Vintner's Luck and other work: 1998–2010
Knox at the 2014 WORD Christchurch Festival

Knox's fourth full-length novel, The Vintner's Luck, was published in 1998,[14] and was her first book to be published outside New Zealand.[15] It chronicles the life of a peasant winemaker, Sobran Jodeau, and his relationship with the fallen angel Xas. The novel is set in 19th-century Burgundy, France, and spans 55 years. It was inspired by a feverish dream experienced by Knox when she had pneumonia.[2] The Vintner's Luck won Knox widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards, and it raised her profile within New Zealand and overseas.[3] It sold over 60,000 copies in New Zealand alone and in 2018, readers of The Spinoff voted it as the best New Zealand novel of the last 50 years.[16]

After the success of The Vintner's Luck, and spending part of 1999 in Menton, France as the recipient of the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship,[17] three novels by Knox were published in quick succession: Black Oxen (2001),[18][19] Billie's Kiss (2002),[20][21] and Daylight (2003).[22][23] Daylight, a novel about vampires created by a virus, received praise from reviewers and did well overseas.[24] Academic Erin Mercer notes that the novel reflects international Gothic and supernatural literary traditions as well as New Zealand fiction's more realistic approach.[24]

In 2002, Knox was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, for services to literature.[25]

Knox's first young adult books, Dreamhunter and Dreamquake, were published in 2005 and 2007 respectively, as the Dreamhunter Duet series.[26][27] Jolisa Gracewood, reviewing Dreamquake, described the book as a "Mansfield-meets-Mahy fantasy" and praised Knox for her audacious imagination and ingeniously constructed tales.[28] In 2008, she published a collection of non-fiction, The Love School: Personal Essays, which was shortlisted in the 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.[29] Since 2013 a quotation from The Love School has been featured on a concrete plaque forming part of the Wellington Writers Walk, a series of quotations installed along the Wellington waterfront.[30]

In 2009 the film adaptation of The Vintner's Luck directed and co-written by Niki Caro was released. The film was almost universally panned at the 34th Annual Toronto International Film Festival.[31] Knox was disappointed at the direction the movie took as she felt Caro "took out what the book was actually about", referring to the romantic relationship between Sobran and Xas which was a core aspect of the novel.[32] Her sister Sara, who is gay, was also upset about the film version.[33] Knox's bad experience with the film made her pull out of a potential film contract with New Zealand filmmaker Jonathan King for her young adult fantasy series, The Dreamhunter Duet.[2][34]

That same year, Knox published The Angel's Cut,[35] a sequel to The Vintner's Luck. The story follows the tale of Xas after the events of the first book and is set in 1930s Hollywood. At the time she said that she was intending to write a third book in the series, The Angel's Reserve, set in contemporary times, but as of 2020 it has not yet been published.[2][36]

Later career

In 2013, Mortal Fire was published,[37] a young adult novel described by Paula Green as "a modern fairy story without fairies, full of breathtaking magic and visual detail",[38] and Wake,[39] a horror novel for adults. The Guardian said in its review: "Knox keeps the monster off stage and examines the psychological consequences of its depredations on the survivors, subverting the norms of the horror genre and thus making the ambiguous finale all the more startling."[40] The publication of both books in the same year caused some confusion, with New Zealand bookstore Whitcoulls inadvertently shelving Wake in the children's section and listing it as a "great gift for kids".[41]

Since 2016, Knox has taught a world-building writing workshop at Victoria University.[5]

In 2019, The Absolute Book was published,[42] a fantasy novel that won critical acclaim both in New Zealand and overseas.[43] The book attracted particular attention after a January 2020 book review by Slate writer Dan Kois headlined "This New Zealand Fantasy Masterpiece Needs to Be Published in America, Like, Now".[44] The book was subsequently acquired by overseas publishers. It was published in the US and Canada in February 2021,[45][46][47] and in the UK in March 2021.[48] Kirkus Reviews wrote: "This darkly luminous fantasy reads like a mystery, thoroughly and wonderfully transporting readers to another world."[49] The Times described the novel as "bursting with imagination" and "a bewitching, frustrating, strange and perverse novel".[50] Nina Allan, reviewing the novel for The Guardian, said it "has the feel of an instant classic" and "is everything fantasy should be: original, magical, well read". She praised the diverse characters and the book's "genuine feeling of jeopardy".[51] It was listed as one of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2021 by The New York Times.[52]

In June 2020, Knox was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to literature, in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours.[53] She said that on receiving the award her first thought was that her parents would have been amused, given her lack of writing ability as a child.[5]

Honours and awards

Fellowships and honours

Prizes for individual books
  • Treasure short-listed for New Zealand Book Award for Fiction 1993[3]
  • The Vintner′s Luck winner of 1999 Deutz Medal for Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards[60]
  • The Vintner's Luck winner of 1999 Reader's Choice Award at the New Zealand Book Awards[60]
  • The Vintner's Luck winner of 1999 Booksellers' Choice Award at the New Zealand Book Awards[3]
  • The Vintner's Luck long-listed for 1999 Orange Prize for Fiction[61]
  • The Vintner's Luck winner of 2001 Tasmania Pacific Region Prize[3]
  • Billie's Kiss runner-up of 2002 Deutz Medal for Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards[62]
  • Daylight short-listed for Best Book in the South Pacific & South East Asian Region, for 2004 Commonwealth Writers Prize[3]
  • Dreamhunter short-listed for the Deutz Medal for Fiction at the 2006 New Zealand Book Awards[63]
  • Dreamhunter winner of 2006 Esther Glen Award[64]
  • Dreamhunter chosen for a White Raven Award by the International Youth Library in 2006[65]
  • Dreamhunter winner of 2007 ALA Best Books For Young Adults award[66]
  • Dreamquake Honor Book of 2008 Michael L. Printz Award[67]
  • Dreamquake winner of 2008 ALA Best Books For Young Adults award[68]
  • The Invisible Road winner of 2009 Best Collected Work, Sir Julius Vogel Award[69]
  • The Love School: Personal Essays shortlisted in the Biography section of the New Zealand Book Awards 2009[29]
  • Mortal Fire finalist for Young Adult Literature in the Los Angeles Times Best Book Awards[70]
  • Mortal Fire winner of 2014 New Zealand Post Children's Book Award for Young Adult Fiction[71]
  • Mortal Fire chosen for a White Raven Award by the International Youth Library in 2014[72]

Personal life

As of 2020 Knox lives in Wellington and is married to Fergus Barrowman, a publisher at Victoria University Press. They have a son, Jack Barrowman.[5] Barrowman and Knox met when he was involved in publishing her first book, After Z-Hour (1987).[73]

Selected works
  • After Z-Hour (1987)
  • Paremata (1989)
  • Treasure (1992)
  • Pomare (1994)
  • Glamour and the Sea (1996)
  • Tawa (1998)
  • The Vintner's Luck (1998)
  • The High Jump (2000)
  • Black Oxen (2001)
  • Billie's Kiss (2002)
  • Daylight (2003)
  • Dreamhunter (Book 1 of the Dreamhunter Duet) (2005)
  • Dreamquake (Book 2 of the Dreamhunter Duet) (2007)
  • The Love School (essays) (2008)
  • The Invisible Road (2008)
  • The Angel's Cut (Sequel to The Vintner's Luck) (2009)
  • Mortal Fire (2013)
  • Wake (2013)
  • The Absolute Book (2019)

References
  1. "Elizabeth Knox". Macmillan Books. Archived from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  2. Noonan, Kathleen (30 October 2009). "Year of hell for writer Elizabeth Knox". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  3. "Knox, Elizabeth". Read NZ Te Pou Muramura. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020.
  4. Knox, Elizabeth (2000). The high jump : a New Zealand childhood. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3337-5.
  5. Green, Kate (1 June 2020). "QB HONOURS - Wellington author Elizabeth Knox awarded Queen's Birthday honours". Dominion Post. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  6. Knox, Elizabeth (1988). "Origins, Authority and Imaginary Games". Sport. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  7. Knox, Elizabeth (2002). "Starling". Sport. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  8. Knox, Elizabeth (2000). "On Being Picked Up". Sport. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  9. Knox, Elizabeth (1987). After Z-hour. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3070-1.
  10. "About Sport". Sport. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  11. Knox, Elizabeth (1992). Treasure. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3228-6.
  12. Knox, Elizabeth (1996). Glamour and the sea. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3305-4.
  13. Knox, Elizabeth (1999). "1997 Elizabeth Knox". In Robinson, Roger (ed.). Writing Wellington: Twenty Years of Victoria University Writing Fellows. Wellington, NZ: Victoria University Press. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  14. Knox, Elizabeth (1998). The Vintner's luck. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3677-2.
  15. "Elizabeth Knox - Biography". Penguin Books (UK). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  16. "Winner of our great book prize announced as Elizabeth Knox is proved most popular author of all times". The Spinoff. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  17. "Mansfield Prize Fellows". Mansfield Prize. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  18. Knox, Elizabeth (2001). Black oxen (1st ed.). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-3741-1405-3.
  19. May, Sarah (11 August 2001). "Leaps of faith". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  20. Knox, Elizabeth (2002). Billie's kiss (1st ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-3454-5052-4.
  21. Thomson, Margie (28 February 2001). "Elizabeth Knox: Billie's Kiss". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  22. Knox, Elizabeth (2003). Daylight (1st ed.). New York, N.Y.: Random House Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-3454-5795-0.
  23. Thomson, Margie (27 March 2003). "Elizabeth Knox: Daylight". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  24. Mercer, Erin (2013). "'Slumming Among the Gravestones': Elizabeth Knox's "Daylight" and the New Zealand Canon". Journal of New Zealand Literature (31): 130–149. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  25. "Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee honours list 2002". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  26. Knox, Elizabeth (2005). Dreamhunter. Sydney: Fourth Estate. ISBN 9780732281939.
  27. Knox, Elizabeth (2007). Dreamquake. Auckland [N.Z.]: Fourth Estate. ISBN 978-0-7322-8194-6.
  28. Gracewood, Jolisa (10 February 2007). "Book of Revelations". New Zealand Listener. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  29. Knox, Elizabeth (2008). The love school : personal essays. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3592-8. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  30. Mateparae, Sir Jerry (21 March 2013). "Wellington Writers Walk Quotation Unveiling". Office of the Governor-General. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  31. Davison, Isaac (16 September 2009). "Vintner's Luck movie gets critical panning". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  32. Fitzsimons, Tom (19 October 2009). "Author cried over Vintner's Luck film". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  33. Broun, Britton; Chapman, Katie (20 October 2009). "Gay romance gloss-over upsets author's sister". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  34. Hunter, Kathy (20 October 2005). "Elizabeth Knox interview". LeafSalon. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  35. Knox, Elizabeth (2009). The angel's cut. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3600-0.
  36. Linnell, Christine (12 October 2009). "Elizabeth Knox on The Angel's Cut". The Lumière Reader. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  37. Knox, Elizabeth (2013). Mortal fire (First ed.). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9780374388317.
  38. Green, Paula (7 June 2013). "Book Review: Mortal Fire". NZ Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  39. Knox, Elizabeth (2013). Wake. Wellington, NZ: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-0-8647-3770-0.
  40. Brown, Eric (10 April 2015). "The best science fiction novels in April – review roundup". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  41. Downes, Siobhan (23 December 2013). "Horror novel in kids' section". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  42. Knox, Elizabeth (2019). The absolute book. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-1-7765-6230-5.
  43. Downes, Siobhan (14 February 2020). "Kiwi author Elizabeth Knox's The Absolute Book makes waves overseas". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  44. Kois, Dan (29 January 2020). "This New Zealand Fantasy Masterpiece Needs to Be Published in America, Like, Now". Slate. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  45. Cowdrey, Katherine (19 October 2020). "MJ bags Knox's The Absolute Book". The Bookseller. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
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  51. Allan, Nina (25 March 2021). "The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox review – an instant classic". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
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  58. "Wellington.scoop.co.nz » 2800 students in VUW graduation ceremonies this week". Retrieved 26 July 2021.
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  63. "Montana New Zealand Book Awards". Christchurch City Libraries. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  64. "LIANZA Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
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  69. "Sir Julius Vogel Award Results – 2009". Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  70. Kellogg, Carolyn (19 February 2014). "Announcing the L.A. Times Book Prize finalists for 2013". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  71. "Past Winners: 2014". New Zealand Book Awards. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  72. "English / New Zealand - Mortal fire". The White Ravens Database. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
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