C.K. Stead

Last night after work, I hurried downtown to the Maidment Theater to catch a lecture by C.K. Stead. If you haven't heard of him, he's a fantastic New Zealand author and former professor at the University of Auckland. He writes in a down-to-earth, witty manner with an alternative style of thinking. After hearing him read excerpts from several of his novels, I think I have some new homework to do.

Prior to last night, I'd only been exposed to his poems. I felt compelled to take a book of his home (The Red Tram) from the Parnell Library after skimming though a few - they were so accessible that I actually brought the book home and read them!

Two of his readings I found particularly captivating:
My Name was Judas (2006), re-imagines the life and part of Judas of Keraiyot, the great betrayer, in the story of Jesus. It has been shortlisted in the fiction category of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2007.
The Secret History of Modernism (2001), "This complex novel fits together so neatly that it might feel glib in the hands of a less skilled writer. But Stead’s crisp prose serves a vigorous and subtle intelligence, so that nothing is closed off. There is always another connection, another layer." - John de Falbe, The Spectator