Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) put us on the map with her still-admired short stories set in New Zealand (though she spent most of her adult life in Europe). Among contemporary fiction writers, Keri Hulme won the prestigious Booker McConnell Prize for The Bone People in 1985; Janet Frame is famous for Owls Do Cry, An Angel at My Table, and several others; Owen Marshall is perhaps our finest living short-story writer; and the late Barry Crump is a legend of a completely unique, raw, backcountry style, having produced books like A Good Keen Man and Hang On a Minute Mate.
Top Maori writers include Witi Ihimaera, Patricia Grace, and Alan Duff. In addition, Maurice Gee, Maurice Shadbolt, Fiona Kidman, and Lauris Edmond all warrant attention.
Jane Campion attracted world attention with The Piano, which was nominated for nine categories at the Academy Awards. (Anna Paquin of Wellington won best supporting actress.)
Director Peter Jackson grabbed headlines when he secured Hollywood funding for The Lord of the Rings, which was filmed in 2000 with the biggest film budget ever. His Heavenly Creatures (1994) was winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Two of Maori author Alan Duff's novels have been made into films; Once Were Warriors and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted have shocked audiences with their true-to-life violent portrayal of Maori gang society. More recently, Whale Rider has won international acclaim from movie audiences.
