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Patricia Grace
Patricia Grace, a novelist and children’s author, is a native of
Aotearoa, New Zealand. She is of Ngati Toa, Ngati Raukawa, and Te Ati
Awa descent, and is widely known for her realistic depictions of Maori
people and culture. Her work has been recognized for its unique
expression of Maori “consciousness and values” and for its versatile
style and descriptive narratives. Born in Wellington, Grace now resides
on Ngati Toa ancestral land in Hongoeka Bay, Plimmerton.
Grace’s first book Waiariki,
which won the PEN/Hubert Church Award for Best Book of Fiction, was the
first short story collection ever to be published by a female Maori
author. In an effort to add to the “few stories that Maori children see
themselves in and that reflect their lives,” Grace began writing books
especially for young people. Her picture book, The Kuia and the Spider/Te Kuia me te
Pungawerewere, was published in 1981 and won the Children’s
Picture Book of the Year Award. Most recently, Grace has been named the
University of Oklahoma’s 2008 Laureate of the Neustadt International
Prize for Literature.
Source: http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/gracep.html
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Related Links:
Toi Maori Aotearoa – Maori Art: http://www.maoriart.org.nz/profiles/patricia_grace
The Maori Renaissance: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/engl392/492/williams.html
Some of Patricia Grace's Works:
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