Elspeth Sandys | |
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| Born | 1940 (age 85–86) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland Trinity College London |
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| elspethsandys | |
Elspeth Somerville SandysONZM (born 1940) is a New Zealand author and script writer.
Born inTimaru in 1940, she grew up inDunedin. She was adopted by the Alley family and was exposed to literature from a young age byRewi Alley. She uses the surname Sandys as a pseudonym.[1]
Sandys received an MA (First Class Honours) in English from theUniversity of Auckland, an Associate Diploma (FTCL) in Speech & Drama and a Fellowship Diploma (LTCL) in Music, both fromTrinity College London.[2]
Sandys's fiction often focuses on personal, social, and political relationships. While some of her novels are historical fiction their motivating themes remain contemporary. In addition to her published works, Sandys has taught creative writing and worked as an editor atOxford University Press.[2]
Sandys has had poems and short fiction published in several journals including in:Landfall (multiple pieces including short story 'The Postman', 2012);PEN (UK);[2]New Zealand Listener;[3] andNew Zealand Books Pukapuka Aotearoa.[4]
With John Man, Sandys has ghostwritten several non-fiction works includingThe Survival of Jan Little (Penguin Books, 1986).[2]
Sandys has written for both theBBC andRadio New Zealand including original plays and adaptations, and scripts for film and television, with performances taking place in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.[2]
Her novel,River Lines, was longlisted for the 1996Orange Prize and her unpublished collection of short stories,Standing in Line, won the Elena Garro Prize in 2003.[2][1]
In 2005, her playVagabonds (previously titledMasquerade) was selected for theInternational Playwriting Festival in London. It was also shortlisted in 2006 in the Columbus State Theatre Playwriting Competition.[5]
In the2006 New Year Honours, Sandys was appointed anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to literature.[6]
In 1992 Sandys was awarded theGrimshaw Sargeson Fellowship withGaelyn Gordon.[7] She was awarded theRobert Burns Fellowship, in 1995, a literary residency at theUniversity of Otago inDunedin, New Zealand.[8] In 2016 she received a residency at theMichael King Writers Centre.[1]
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