Katherine Mary Duignan (born 1974) is a New Zealand novelist, short-story writer, reviewer and teacher.

Background

Kate Duignan was born in

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 ...

, New Zealand. She grew up in Wellington and London. She completed an MA in creative writing at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

in 2000, and a PhD in creative writing, also from VUW, in 2017. The critical component of her PhD explored narration in ''

Gilead Gilead or Gilad (, ; ''Gilʿāḏ'', , ''Jalʻād'') is the ancient, historic, biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region of Transjordan.''Easton's Bible Dictionary'Galeed''/ref> The region is bounded in the west by the J ...

'' by

Marilynne Robinson Marilynne Summers Robinson (born November 26, 1943) is an American novelist and essayist. Across her writing career, Robinson has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and th ...

. Duignan now lives in Wellington with her partner and three children, and in 2018 is teaching fiction at the

International Institute of Modern Letters The International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML; ) is a centre of creative writing based within Victoria University of Wellington. Founded in 2001, the IIML offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses (including a PhD in creative writing) ...

at Victoria University.

Works

Kate Duignan's debut novel ''Breakwater'' was published by

Victoria University Press Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books. History V ...

in 2001. ''Breakwater'' was reissued as part of the VUP Classics series in 2018. Her second novel, ''The New Ships'' was published in 2018. Duignan has published short fiction and poetry in

Sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

, Landfall and takahē. Duignan reviews for Landfall and New Zealand Books.

Fellowships and awards

''The New Ships'' was long listed for the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize in the 2019 Ockham Awards. Duignan was awarded the Louis Johnson New Writers' Bursary in 2002. She held 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 2004. She was the

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

Writer in Residence in 2006.

References

External links

New Zealand Book Council biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duignan, Kate 1974 births Living people New Zealand women novelists International Institute of Modern Letters alumni 21st-century New Zealand novelists 21st-century New Zealand women writers