Ian Robert Cross (6 November 1925 – 2 November 2019) was a New Zealand novelist, journalist and administrator, and contributed significantly to New Zealand letters. His first novel, ''

The God Boy ''The God Boy'' is a novel written by Ian Cross, first published in 1957 and reprinted in 2003. Cross, who was a journalist, based the story on the real lives of juvenile delinquents he encountered in his work. The book was adapted as an o ...

'', was released in 1957 to critical acclaim. Later novels are ''The Backward Sex'' (1959), ''After ANZAC Day'' (1961) and ''The Family Man'' (1993). Cross was born in

Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

and educated at Wanganui Technical College. He was a newspaper reporter from 1943 to 1956, including at '' The Dominion'' (1943–1947 and chief reporter 1951–1956), the ''

Panamá América Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

'' (1947–1949) and the ''Southern Cross'' (the Labour Party newspaper, 1949–1950). He was public relations manager for Feltex New Zealand from 1961 to 1972. His contribution to New Zealand literature extended to his work on various boards, his critical commentaries and his various roles in the

New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was a publicly owned company of the New Zealand Government founded in 1962. The Broadcasting Act 1976 then reformed NZBC as the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ). The corporation was ...

(NZBC). He was editor of the ''New Zealand Listener'' from 1973 to 1977, chairman of the NZBC between 1977 and 1984 and chief executive from 1984 to 1986. He was president of several organisations, including the

Indecent Publications Tribunal The Indecent Publications Tribunal was a government censorship organisation that operated in New Zealand from 1964 until 1993. It was established under the Indecent Publications Act 1963 and consisted of five members, with one a High Court barris ...

(1964–1967), PEN (1968–1972), the QEII Arts Council (1968–1972), and the National Commission for UNESCO (1969–1972). He held a fellowship in journalism at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1954–1955 and the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

in 1959. He won ''The Atlantic Monthly'' short story prize in 1956. In 1988 he published ''The Unlikely Bureaucrat'', a non-fiction memoir. Another memoir was released in 2007 called ''Such Absolute Beginners''. In the

1994 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1994 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other ...

, Cross was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

, for services to broadcasting and literature. Cross married Tui Tunnicliffe in 1952, and they had four sons. He died at

Paraparaumu Paraparaumu is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Kāpiti Coast, north of the nation's capital city, Wellington. It is also known to residents as Pram or Paraparam. Like other towns in the area, it has a ...

on 2 November 2019, having been predeceased by his wife a month earlier.

References

External links

New Zealand book council
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Ian 1925 births 2019 deaths New Zealand male novelists New Zealand journalists New Zealand public servants New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from Masterton 20th-century New Zealand novelists People educated at Whanganui City College