New Zealand Writers

GEORGE, James

A writer whose work is extraordinarily beautiful, thoughtful and moving

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GEORGE, James (1962- ) is a novelist and short story writer.

James George is of Ngapuhi, English and Irish descent. He was born in Wellington, has lived most of his life in Auckland but calls Northland his ‘spiritual home’.

George began writing in 1995 and his first published novel was Wooden Horses (Hazard Press, 2000). He then published the story Zeta Orionis, an excerpt from his second novel Hummingbird. Zeta Orionis won the premiere award in the 2001 Maori Literature Awards. Hummingbird was a finalist in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2004.

Writing in the NZ Herald Margie Thomson describes Hummingbird as ‘demanding and ambitious … [and] above all incredibly moving’.

James George lives in Auckland.

(LK)

Updated Information

Hummingbird was a finalist in the 2005 Tasmania Pacific Fiction Prize. He has also contributed 'Figures on Ice' to The Best of New Zealand Fiction. Volume Three (Vintage, 2006).

Ocean Roads (Huia, 2006) appeared on The 2007 Commonwealth Writers' Prize Shortlist as one of the Best Books in the South East Asia and South Pacific region.

Ocean Roads has been shortlisted in the fiction category of the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2007.