Owen Marshall, Timaru, CNZM, for services to literature
Mr Owen Marshall is one of New Zealand’s leading fiction writers. For 25 years he worked as a secondary school teacher in Oamaru and Timaru before becoming a full-time author. He published his first collection of short stories in 1979 and has since written and edited more than 24 books, including novels, short stories and poetry. Much of his work is characterised by its focus on life in provincial New Zealand. His work has been published internationally and he has received numerous awards and fellowships. His novel ‘Harlequin Rex’ won the 2000 Deutz Medal for Fiction at the Montana Book Awards. Many critics consider Mr Marshall among the finest of New Zealand’s short story writers. In 2005 the University of Canterbury appointed him an Adjunct Professor. Mr Marshall has served on the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand, is a long-time member of the New Zealand Society of Authors and is currently a New Zealand Book Council board member. He has received numerous honours and awards including an Antarctica New Zealand Arts Fellowship in 2009/2010 and a University of Canterbury Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 2002.