Ian Middleton (26 October 1928 – 24 October 2007) was a New Zealand

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

, who made a particular mark with his books set in post-

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Japan. Born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

, he was the younger brother of noted New Zealand

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

O. E. Middleton. Blind, he said this gave him a "special perspective but 'without limitation'", and has been attributed to the "strong metaphoric colour, sensual - often erotic - quality and lush verbal richness of his writing". A full list of his publications can be seen at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

's NZ Literature file and more biographical information is at the

New Zealand Book Council Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly the New Zealand Book Council) is a not-for-profit organisation that presents a wide range of programmes to promote books and reading in New Zealand. It was established in 1972 and its programmes have included ...

's website.

Main works

* ''Pet Shop'' (Waiura: A. Taylor, 1979) * ''Faces of Hachiko'' (

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

: Inca Print, 1984) * ''Sunflower: a Novel of Present Day Japan'' (

: Benton Press, 1986) * ''

Mr Ponsonby ''Mr Ponsonby'' is the fourth novel from noted New Zealand author Ian Middleton, and is described as "his eulogy to a gentrifying Ponsonby". He had an intimate connection with Ponsonby (a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand), where the book is set, ...

'' (

: Lyndon, 1989) * ''Reiko'' (

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

: Moana Press, 1990) * ''Harvest'' (

Ōkato Ōkato is a small town in rural Taranaki, New Zealand. It is situated about 25 minutes drive around the coast from New Plymouth on New Zealand State Highway 45, State Highway 45. Ōakura is 12 km to the north-east, and Warea, New Zealand, ...

: Puniho Art Press, 1995) * ''I See a Voice'' (

: Flamingo, 1997) The 'Japanese trilogy' - ''Faces of Hachiko'', ''Sunflower'' and ''Reiko'' - describes a personal and complex portrayal of post-war Japan. ''Pet Shop'', a novel on his early upbringing in small-town New Zealand, wartime Auckland and his experiences on a Norwegian tanker, was described by New Zealand writer Kevin Ireland as "an absorbing picture of the repressions that passed for a moral code".The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, edited by Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998)

References

1928 births New Zealand male novelists 2007 deaths People from New Plymouth 20th-century New Zealand novelists 20th-century New Zealand male writers {{NewZealand-writer-stub