Fiona Kidman, born 26 March 1940 in Hawera, New Zealand, is a respected and popular New Zealand novelist, poet and scriptwriter. March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Location within New Zealand The water tower at Hawera With a population of 11,000 Hawera is the second largest town in the Taranaki region of New Zealands North Island. ...

Life and Work

Fiona Kidman grew up in Northland and worked as a librarian in Rotorua after leaving school. She married Ian Kidman in 1960 and they have a son and daughter. She now lives in Wellington. Northland is the official or unofficial name of several places: Northland Region, the northernmost region of New Zealand, located on the North Auckland (or Northland) Peninsula Northland, Michigan, a town in Michigan Northland, Minnesota, a town in Minnesota The Northland, a nickname for the area of Kansas City, Missouri north... Rotorua is a city located on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Poneke in Māori) is the capital of New Zealand, the countrys second largest urban area and the most populous national capital in Oceania. ...

Kidman began her writing career as a freelance journalist in the early 1960's and was mentored by Bruce Mason and William Austin in theatre and radio theatre. Her first of eight novels was published in 1979, and she has also published four short story collections and four collections of poetry. Her work is often concerned with the effects of suburban and provincial lower middle-class life, its morals and its hypocrisies. Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... William Austin (1884-1975) was a British character actor (born in British Guiana) who appeared in many films and serials between the 1920s and the 1940s, though the vast majority of his roles were small and uncredited. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ...

Kidman has been strongly active in the literary community, serving as the national president of PEN from 1981 to 1983 and as the president of the New Zealand Book Council from 1992 to 1995. In 1988 she was awarded an OBE, and in 1998 was made a Dame Commander of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to literature. In 1988 she founded and ran the Fiona Kidman Creative Writing School, which is now part of the Whitireia Community Polytechnic. She is currently the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellow for 2006 and President of Honour of the New Zealand Book Council. Her latest novel, The Captive Wife was runner-up for the Deutz Medal and won the Readers' Choice award at the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards A ballpoint pen A pen is a writing instrument which applies ink to a surface. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Companions Badge of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of chivalry established on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Principal Companion (PCNZM) (formerly Knight or Dame... Meridian Energy Limited, a New Zealand-based company, performs electricity generation and electricity retailing. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Montana New Zealand Book Awards are a series of literary awards to works of New Zealand citizens. ...

Bibliography

Novels

• A Breed of Women (1979)
• Mandarin Summer (1981)
• Paddy's Puzzle (1983) (USA title: In the Clear Light)
• The Book of Secrets (1987)
• True Stars (1990)
• Ricochet Baby (1996)
• Songs from the Violet Café (2003)
• The Captive Wife (2005)

Short Story Collections

• Mrs Dixon & Friend (1982)
• Unsuitable Friends (1988)
• The Foreign Woman (1994)
• The House Within (1997)
• The Best of Fiona Kidman's Short Stories (1998)
• A Needle in the Heart (2002)

Poetry

• Honey & Bitters (1975)
• On the Tightrope (1977)
• Going to the Chathams (1985)
• Wakeful Nights (1993)

Plays

• Search for Sister Blue (1975)

Non-Fiction

• Gone North (1984)
• Wellington (1989)

Editor

• New Zealand Love Stories: An Oxford Anthology (1998)
• The Best New Zealand Fiction:1 (2004)
• The Best New Zealand Fiction:2 (2005)

Awards

• Ngaio Marsh Award for television writing (1972)
• New Zealand Scholarship in Letters (1981)
• Mobil New Zealand/ Outlook Short Story Award (1985)
• New Zealand Book Awards for The Book of Secrets (1987)
• OBE for services to literature (1988)
• Arts Council Award for Achievement (1988)
• Dame Commander New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature (1998)
• AW Reed Award for Lifetime Achievement (2001)
• Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Fellow (2006)
• Runner up Deutz Medal and winner of People's Choice at Montana New Zealand Book Awards (2006)

Ngaio Marsh DBE (April 23, 1895 - February 18, 1982), born Edith Ngaio Marsh was an author and theatre director from New Zealand. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... Companions Badge of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of chivalry established on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Principal Companion (PCNZM) (formerly Knight or Dame... Katherine Mansfield (October 14, 1888 – January 9, 1923) was prominent Modernist writer of short fiction. ... The Montana New Zealand Book Awards are a series of literary awards to works of New Zealand citizens. ...

References and bibiography

• Official website
• New Zealand Book Council author information page