Sir James Henry Peter McNeish, KNZM

New Zealand Order of Merit

The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...

 (born 1931), a 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...

 novelist, playwright and biographer, was born in Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

 in 1931 and travelled the world as a young man - working as a deckhand on a Norwegian freighter in 1958, and recording folk music in 21 countries. He worked in the Theatre Workshop

Theatre Workshop

Theatre Workshop is a theatre group noted for their director, Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company...

 in London with Joan Littlewood

Joan Littlewood

Joan Maud Littlewood was a British theatre director, noted for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop...

, and was influenced by her spirit of socially committed drama. He worked as a free-lance programme- and documentary-maker for the BBC Radio

BBC Radio

BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...

's Features Department in the 1960s. He also wrote for The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

 and The Observer

The Observer

The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...

. He spent three years in Sicily with Danilo Dolci

Danilo Dolci

Danilo Dolci was an Italian social activist, sociologist, popular educator and poet. He is best known for his opposition to poverty, social exclusion and the Mafia on Sicily, and is considered to be one of the protagonists of the non-violence movement in Italy...

, the non-violent anti-Mafia

Mafia

The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...

 reformer, and wrote Fire under the Ashes (1965, London: Hodder and Stoughton ) a biographical account of Dolci's life which is remarkable for its objectivity and clarity. He has written some 25 books.

James McNeish's writing has been the subject of critical acclaim both at home and abroad. Besides New Zealand, his books are set in Sicily, London, Israel and New Caledonia. He has been described as prolific by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. His book "Lovelock" was nominated for the 1986 Booker Prize.

In 1999, he was awarded the prestigious National Library of New Zealand

National Library of New Zealand

The National Library of New Zealand is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations"...

 Research Fellowship, allowing him to research the lives and friendships of five prominent New Zealanders who attended Oxford University in the 1930s - four of them Rhodes Scholars.

In 2010, he was honoured with the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Non-Fiction. He plans to donate part of his prize towards a travel scholarship - 'a hardship scheme' - for young writers.

It has been said about him that among New Zealand novelists, he remains the 'wild card'. In an interview with Philip Matthews in 2010 (Weekend, 26 June 2010), he said: “I’ve always been an outsider, and I’m quite comfortable with that. To retain your critical sense in a small society like New Zealand, you have to stand apart”.

He lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with his wife Lady Helen.

Awards

• Recipient of the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, France, 1973
• Writer in Residence, Berlin Kuenstler Program, 1983
• National Library of New Zealand
  National Library of New Zealand
  The National Library of New Zealand is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations"...
  
   Research Fellow, 1999
• Berlin Writers' Residency 2009 funded by Creative New Zealand
  Creative New Zealand
  The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets and audiences for New Zealand arts domestically and internationally...
  
  , the national agency for the development of the arts in New Zealand.
• Recipient of the 2010 Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in non-fiction.
• Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
  New Zealand Order of Merit
  The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
  
  , 31 December 2010 New Year Honours.

Major works

Novels

• Mackenzie (1970)
• The Mackenzie Affair (1972)
• The Glass Zoo (1976)
• Joy (1982)
• Lovelock (1986; enlarged edition, 2009)
• Penelope's Island (1990)
• My Name Is Paradiso (1995)
• Mr Halliday & the Circus Master (1996)
• The Crime of Huey Dunstan (2010)

Non-Fiction

• Tavern in the Town (1957)
• Fire Under the Ashes: A Life of Danilo Dolci (1965)
• Larks in a Paradise (with Marti Friedlander
  Marti Friedlander
  Marti Friedlander is a New Zealand photographer.Born in England to Russian Jewish immigrants, from the age of three she was raised in orphanages. She married a New Zealander and emigrated to New Zealand in 1958...
  
  ) (1974)
• As for the Godwits (1977)
• Art of the Pacific (with Brian Brake
  Brian Brake
  Brian Brake was one of New Zealand's most internationally successful photographers.Born in Wellington, New Zealand, John Brian Brake was the adopted son of John Samuel Brake and his wife Jennie Brake...
  
  ) (1980)
• Belonging: Conversations in Israel (1980)
• Walking on my Feet: A Life of A.R.D. Fairburn (with Helen McNeish) (1983)
• Ahnungslos in Berlin: A Berlin Diary (1985)
• The Man from Nowhere & Other Prose (1991)
• The Mask of Sanity: The Bain Murders (1997)
• An Albatross Too Many (1998)
• Dance of the Peacocks: New Zealanders in exile in the time of Hitler and Mao Tse-tung (2003)
• The Sixth Man: the extraordinary life of Paddy Costello (2007)

Plays

• The Mouse Man (1975)
• Eighteen Ninety-Five (1975)
• The Rocking Cave (1973)
• Thursday Bloody Thursday (1998)

Articles, Reviews and Essays

Anthology

• Not so far from Godwit Bay, In From a Room of their Own, A Celebration of the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship, Auckland, Whitcoulls, (1993)

Articles

• A visit to Denis Glover, Quote Unquote (30 Dec 1995) 17-19
• Ambush aftermath in New Caledonia, The Press (1991) 18
• Did Ulysses just sail round Sicily? The Dominion (1991) 8
• Mulgan's War, The Listener (April 1994) 38
• Paper exodus sends our literary heritage abroad, The Dominion Sunday Times (1990) 9-20
• Paper exodus sends our literary heritage abroad, Archifacts (April 1991) 77-91
• Patric's Day (Obit of Patric Carey) The Listener(September 2006)

Biography

• Walking on my feet : A. R. D. Fairburn : a kind of biography. Auckland, Collins 1983, New Outlook Dec 1983/Jan 1984 Dec/Jan (1983) 37

Interview

• The Greek Experience: a conversation with David Kennedy, Art New Zealand 36 (1985) 50-53

Letter

• Murder in Bainville : an open letter to Graeme Lay, Quote Unquote 25 July (1995) 16-17

Non-Fiction

• A war of nerves, The Listener 118.2486 (1987) 16-19
• Breaking the silence, The Listener 146.2850 (1994) 20-25
• Case closed : how and why David Bain killed his family, The Listener (1997) 18
• Lovelock's dream mile, The Listener 145.2839 (1994) 24-25

Tavern in the Town. Wellington: Reed, 1957

• The Ends of Empire : Part 1, The Listener 115.2448 (1987) 11-15
• The Ends of Empire : Part 2, The Listener 115.2449 (1987) 10-13
• The Grand Old Hotels of Thermal-land, Meanjin Quarterly 47 May (1985) 144-148

The Man From Nowhere & Other Prose. Auckland: Godwit, 1991

North and South Dec (1991) 119-123
Walking on My Feet : A.R.D. Fairburn, 1904-1957 : a Kind of Biography. Auckland: Collins, 1983

• Who will guard the peace? The Listener ang2057 124.2571 (1989) 12-15

• Landfall 37 June (1983) 218-220
• New Outlook Autumn (1983) 35

Lovelock' Auckland, Godwit, 1994

• New Zealand Runner 49 April (1987) 16

Mackenzie : a Novel Auckland: Godwit, 1995

• Affairs 91 Mar (1971). Quote Unquote 22 April (1995) 30-31

Mr Halliday and the Circus Master. Auckland: David Ling Publishing, 1996

• Quote Unquote 41 Nov (1996) 30
• North and South 128 Nov (1996) 140-142
• New Zealand Books 7.1 Mar (1997) 10-11

My Name is Paradiso, Auckland: David Ling Publishing, 1995.

• Quote Unquote 24 June (1995) 26
• Metro 169 July (1995) 117-119
• Landfall 190 Spring (1995) 360-362
• New Zealand Books 5.5 Dec (1995) 9-11

Penelope's Island, Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1990

• Metro 113 Nov (1990) 180-182
• New & Notable 7.5 Nov (1990) 5

The Glass Zoo, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1976

• Best Sellers 36 Sept (1976) 184-184
• Landfall 30 Sept (1976) 208-211
• Islands 5.1 Sept (1976) 100-102

The Mackenzie Affair, Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton, 1972

Profile

• Last of the fighting brigadiers,New Zealand Herald (1993) 2-2
• Last of the fighting brigadiers,The Press(1993) 12
• Last of the fighting brigadiers,The Dominion (1993) 11
• The man between the rivers, Otago Daily Times (1993) 21
• New Zealand Geographic 8 Oct/Dec (1990) 18-41
• The man who made social medicine work (George McCall Smith, 1883–1958) The Listener April (1976) 20-21

• Review The Listener 1565 Oct (1969) 20
• The Dominion Oct (1993) 16
• Quote Unquote 38 Aug (1996) 30

Sources

Articles

• Leek, Robert H., Home-grown vintage 73, Islands 2 Spring (1973) 315-318
• Four writers awarded scholarships, The Dominion (1989) 13
• Leigh, Jack, Circular journeys, The New Zealand Herald (1995) 6
• Mannion, Robert, A view to a killing, The Dominion (1997) 7
• Pennell, Graeme, Two faces of the same tragedy, Otago Daily Times (1997) 23
• Pennell, Graeme, Who pulled the trigger? David or Robin Bain? The New Zealand Herald (1997) 19
• Pennell, Graeme, Writers put Bain cases : murderer or victim? s18 The New Zealand Herald (1997) 17

Interviews

• Haley, Russell, Underdogs and overdogs, New Outlook Autumn (1983) 18-20
• King, John, A Sicilian adventure, The Evening Post(1995) 9-10
• Samson, Alan, Cold, Mafia inspire new book, (1995) 9
• Nichol, Ruth, Skinning a pumpkin, Quote Unquote 24 June (1995) 27
• Kitchin, Peter, Madness, murder in family of misfits, The Evening Post (1997) 5
• Van Beynen, Martin, The Bain murders : a psychological mystery? (1997) 3
• Saker, Nicola, At the writers desk: James McNeish, Wellington City Magazine Summer (1986) 56
• McNeish - just a man who writes books, The Dominion (1989) 13
• Sharp, Iain, Ironies with wry detachment, New Zealand Books 5.5 Dec (1995) 9-11
• Bartel, Susan, National Library Fellow 1999: James McNeish, Off the Record 6 (1999) 4

Reviews

• Penguin, NZ Weekly News 5311 (1965) 41
• McEldowney, Dennis, The Listener 65.1626 (1970) 16
• Jones, Lloyd, Landfall 25 March (1971) 93-103
• Simpson, Tony, Affairs 91 March (1971)
• Cleveland, L., The Listener 71.1726 (1972) 56
• McEldowney, Dennis, Islands 2 Autumn (1973) 106-108
• Rea, Ken, Act 20 Aug (1973) 56-58
• King, Michael, NZ Bookworld 14 Feb/Mar (1975) 27
• Oppenheim, R., New Argot 3.1 Mar (1975) 4
• Fry, A., The Listener 79.1860 (1975) 50-51
• Bertram, James, The Listener 81.1898 (1976) 36-37
• Rhodes, H. Winston, Landfall 30 Sept (1976) 208-211
• Cunningham, Kevin, NZ Bookworld 25 June (1976) 19
• Observer (1976) 30
• New Statesman 91 (1976) 108
• TLS (Times Literary Supplement) (1976) 76
• Kirkus Reviews 44 (1976) 343
• The Listener London 95 (1976) 108
• Christian Science Monitor 68 (1976) 27
• Best Sellers 36 Sept (1976) 184
• Library Journal 101 (1976)1798
• McEldowney, Dennis, Islands 5.1 Sept (1976) 100-102
• Sanderson, M., The Listener 87.1974 (1977) 76-77
• Owen, A., NZ Bookworld 45 Feb (1978) 21-22
• Lambrecht, Winifred, Library Journal 105 (1980) 1072
• Glatt, Carol R., Library Journal 105 (1980) 871
• Publishers Weekly 217 (1980) 101
• Kirkus Reviews 48 (1980) 192
• Publishers Weekly 217 (1980) 74
• Booklist 76 (1980) 1251
• Guardian Weekly 123 (1980) 21
• Stringer, Terry, Art New Auckland 15 (1980) 57
• Edmond, Lauris, New Outlook Dec (1983) 37
• Edmond, Lauris, New Outlook Dec 1983/Jan 1984 Dec/Jan (1983) 37
• Evans, P. Lipsync 103.2256 (1983) 98
• Gifkins, Michael, New Outlook Autumn (1983) 35
• Alpers, Antony, The Listener 2289.105 Dec (1983) 86
• Alpers, Antony, The Listener 105.2289 (1983) 86
• Theobald, G., PSA Journal 70.2 Mar (1983) 14
• Owens, J., Landfall 37 June (1983) 218-220
• NZ Wineglass 44 Dec (1984) 9
• Butterworth, S., The Listener 109.2343 (1985) 26
• King, Michael, Metro 6.66 Dec (1986) 269-273
• Robinson, Roger, The Listener 116.2465 (1987) 56
• Mowbray, Trevor, School Library Review 7.3 (1987) 16-26
• Fordyce, Stephen, New Zealand Runner 49 April (1987) 16
• Steinberg, Sybil, Publishers Weekly 233.20 (1988) 67
• Moffitt, D. New & Notable 7.5 Nov (1990) 5
• Crosbie, Sharon, The Dominion Sunday Times (1990) 13
• Brooke, Agnes Mary, The Press (1990) 27
• King, Michael, Metro 113 Nov (1990) 180-182
• Eggleton, David, The Evening Post (1990) 5
• Eggleton, David, Otago Daily Times (1990) 21
• Ireland, Kevin, The Dominion (1990) 7
• Lay, Graeme, The Listener 128.2641 (1990) 110-111
• Lay, Graeme, North and South Dec (1991) 119-123
• Burton, David, The Evening Post (1991) 5
• Palenski, Ron, The Dominion (1991) 9
• Swain, Pauline, The Dominion Sunday Times (1991) 22
• Wattie, Nelson, Landfall 45.3 Sept (1991) 368-370
• Griffiths, George, The Otago Daily Times (1992) 26
• Hill, David, The Listener (1995) 50
• Cooper, Ronda, Metro 169 July (1995) 117-119
• Lay, Graeme, North and South 110 May (1995) 128-132
• Smither, Elizabeth Quote Unquote 24 June (1995) 26
• Kroetsch, Laura. The Dominion (1995) 20
• King, John, The Evening Post (1995) 7
• Savage, Paul, The Press (1995) 11
• Broatch, Mark, Quote Unquote 22 April (1995) 30-31
• Jensen, Kai, Landfall 190 Spring (1995) 360-362
• James, Bryan, The Otago Daily Times (1995) 28
• Sharp, Iain, New Zealand Books 5.5 Dec (1995) 9-11
• The New Zealand Herald (1995) 6
• Cross, Ian, The Listener (1996) 47
• Simpson, Tony, The Dominion (1996) 20
• Scott, Bede, The Sunday Star Times (1996) 4
• McLauchlan, Gordon, The New Zealand Herald (1996) 8
• McLean, Gavin, The Otago Daily Times (1996) 22
• Stratford, Stephen, Quote Unquote 41 Nov (1996) 30
• Burnard, Trevor. The Press (1996) 16
• Eggleton, David, The Evening Post (1996) 7
• Lay, Graeme, North and South 128 Nov (1996) 140-142
• Cooper, Ronda, Metro 184 Oct (1996) 117-120
• Lay, Graeme, North and South 137 Aug (1997) 132-134
• Warner, Howard, New Zealand Books 7.1 Mar (1997) 10-11
• Van Beynen, Martin, The Press (1997) 16
• Kitchin, Peter, The Evening Post (1997) 7
• Richards, Ian, The Listener (1998) 45
• Prebble, Ray, The Evening Post (1998) 5
• Hill, David, The Dominion (1998) 20
• Ireland, Kevin, The New Zealand Herald (1998) 6
• Sandra K. Bogart NZHerald.co.nz (2007) 16 July
• Eugene Bingham NZHerald.co.nz (2007) 8 September
• Hill, David, NZHerald.co.nz (2010) 20 July

External links

• James McNeish Biography
• Berlin Residency awarded by Creative New Zealand
• New Zealand Literature File (Auckland University): James McNeish
• New Zealand Book Council: James McNeish
• Playmarket Biography
• http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/james-mcneish-awarded-creative-new.html