Post by Lux on Mar 16, 2008 16:48:04 GMT 12
Heres a cool story: 
Sunday, 16 March 2008
A writer who has spent much of his life working as a mail sorter has scooped New Zealand's largest literary prize.
David Beach was last night presented with a cheque for $65,000 as winner of the biennial Prize in Modern Letters for his book of poems Abandoned Novel.
"That a book of poems can win a $65,000 prize makes me feel as if I've stumbled into a parallel universe where poetry is considered important," Mr Beach said.
New Zealand's largest literary award, the Prize in Modern Letters, is sponsored by United States businessman and arts philanthropist Glenn Schaeffer and administered by Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).
Eligible writers must have published no more than two books.
" It was a very strong set of entries this year," said IIML director Bill Manhire.
"It's great to see poetry come through in a field of such remarkable books."
Beach was born in 1959 and grew up mainly in Wellington, attending Onslow College and Victoria University.
In 1986 he moved to Sydney where he worked as a mail sorter for Australia Post. He began writing poems while in Australia and these have been published in various magazines and newspapers.
Beach returned to Wellington in 2002 and worked as a mail sorter for New Zealand Post.
Abandoned Novel is his first book of poems.
In 2006 Hugh Roberts praised the book in an issue of the Listener: "...collectively, the poems in the volume stake out new territory in contemporary New Zealand poetry and make a powerful case for further exploration".
The prize was be awarded to Beach at a ceremony in Wellington by prize judge and New York literary editor Brigid Hughes.
Previous winners of the award are novelists Catherine Chidgey and Carl Shuker, and poet Glenn Colquhoun.
Sunday, 16 March 2008
A writer who has spent much of his life working as a mail sorter has scooped New Zealand's largest literary prize.
David Beach was last night presented with a cheque for $65,000 as winner of the biennial Prize in Modern Letters for his book of poems Abandoned Novel.
"That a book of poems can win a $65,000 prize makes me feel as if I've stumbled into a parallel universe where poetry is considered important," Mr Beach said.
New Zealand's largest literary award, the Prize in Modern Letters, is sponsored by United States businessman and arts philanthropist Glenn Schaeffer and administered by Victoria University's International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).
Eligible writers must have published no more than two books.
" It was a very strong set of entries this year," said IIML director Bill Manhire.
"It's great to see poetry come through in a field of such remarkable books."
Beach was born in 1959 and grew up mainly in Wellington, attending Onslow College and Victoria University.
In 1986 he moved to Sydney where he worked as a mail sorter for Australia Post. He began writing poems while in Australia and these have been published in various magazines and newspapers.
Beach returned to Wellington in 2002 and worked as a mail sorter for New Zealand Post.
Abandoned Novel is his first book of poems.
In 2006 Hugh Roberts praised the book in an issue of the Listener: "...collectively, the poems in the volume stake out new territory in contemporary New Zealand poetry and make a powerful case for further exploration".
The prize was be awarded to Beach at a ceremony in Wellington by prize judge and New York literary editor Brigid Hughes.
Previous winners of the award are novelists Catherine Chidgey and Carl Shuker, and poet Glenn Colquhoun.