O.E. (Osman Edward or Ted) Middleton (born 25 March 1925 in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, died 14 August 2010 in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

) was a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

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 ...

short stories 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 ...

, described as belonging to the vernacular critical realist tradition of

Frank Sargeson Frank Sargeson () (born Norris Frank Davey; 23 March 1903 – 1 March 1982) was a New Zealand short story writer and novelist. Born in Hamilton, Sargeson had a middle-class and puritanical upbringing, and initially worked as a lawyer. After ...

. He was the brother of noted New Zealand novelist

Ian Middleton Ian Middleton (26 October 1928 – 24 October 2007) was a New Zealand novelist, who made a particular mark with his books set in post-Second World War Japan. Born in New Plymouth, he was the younger brother of noted New Zealand short story writ ...

, and like him also blind from middle age. Mentored by Frank Sargeson in

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 ...

in the late 1950s, he moved to Dunedin to take up 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 ...

(1970) 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 ...

. Prominent New Zealand author

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She is internationally renowned for her work, which includes novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous award ...

once said, "O. E. Middleton is a fine writer ... He's the only NZ writer who has made me weep over a story — one called ''The Stone'' in a volume of that title." Middleton was the recipient of several awards, including the Hubert Church Award and the 2006 Janet Frame Literary Award. His ''Selected Stories'' shared first prize for Fiction in the

New Zealand Book Awards The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are literary awards presented annually in New Zealand. The awards began in 1996 as the merger of two literary awards events: the New Zealand Book Awards, which ran from 1976 to 1995, and the Goodman Fielder Wa ...

in 1976. A plaque featuring a quote from Middleton's 1970 ''Notebook'' was unveiled in February 2022 as part of the Dunedin Writer's Walk.

Works

* ''Six Poems'' (Wellington: Handcraft Press, 1951) * ''Short Stories'' (Wellington: Handcraft Press, 1954) * ''The Stone and Other Stories'' (Auckland: Pilgrim Press, 1959) * ''A Walk on the Beach'' (London: Joseph, 1964) * ''The Loners'' (Wellington: Square & Circle, 1972) * ''Selected Stories'' (Dunedin: McIndoe, 1975) * ''Confessions of an Ocelot; and Not for a Seagull'' (Dunedin: McIndoe, 1979). * ''The Big Room and Other Stories'' (Wellington: Steele Roberts, 1998) * ''Beyond The Breakwater - Stories 1948-1998'' (Dunedin: Otago University Press, 2008)

References

External links

New Zealand Book Council biography
* http://access.alliedpress.co.nz/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Search&Key=ODT/2010/09/04/36/Ar03602.xml&CollName=ODT_ARCHIVE&DOCID=1238132&Keyword=%28middleton%7E%29&skin=odt2a&AppName=2&ViewMode=HTML 1925 births 2010 deaths New Zealand male short story writers {{NewZealand-writer-stub