Writer's File

Carl Nixon

Canterbury - Waitaha

In brief

Carl Nixon is a playwright, a short story writer and a novelist. He has written original plays and has adapted Lloyd Jones’ novel The Book of Fame and JM Coetzee's Disgrace. He has won numerous awards for his fiction, including winning and being nominated for key short story competitions. Nixon was the Ursula Bethell/Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence at Canterbury University in 2006, where he completed his first novel, Rocking Horse Road. He has also written numerous plays for children.

Bio

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nixon, Carl (1967 - ) writes plays, short fiction and novels. His theatrical works are largely comedies, and humour is an important element of his more serious - even dark - short fiction. He works full-time as a writer.

Born in Christchurch, Nixon graduated with a Masters degree in Religious Studies from Canterbury University. He briefly taught secondary school English before leaving to teach in Japan for two years.

Nixon has won and been shortlisted for numerous awards for his short fiction. He has twice won theSunday Star TimesShort Story Competition, for 'My Father Running with a Dead Boy' in 1997 and 'Weight' in 1999. He was a runner up in theBank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Short Story Competition in 1999 and won the premier prize in 2007.

His first collection of short stories, the best-sellingFish 'n' Chip Shop Song (Random, 2006), was short-listed in the Best First Book Southeast Asia and South Pacific Region category in the Commonwealth Writers' Prize 2007.

In 2006 Nixon was theUrsula Bethell/Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence at Canterbury University where he completed his first novel,Rocking Horse Road. ReviewingRocking Horse Road inNorth and South magazine in August 2007, Warwick Roger said that 'Nixon writes beautifully. He gets the style and timbre of teenagers just right...Nixon has fulfilled the promise he showed with last year's book of short stories,Fish 'n' Chip Shop Song.'

Nixon's theatrical scripts include an adaption ofLloyd Jones' novelThe Book of Fame and of Nobel Prize winner JM Coetzee'sDisgrace. Nixon's play,The Raft, was performed as part of the 2007 Christchurch Arts Festival. He has written numerous plays for children, and his works includeThe Little Mermaid (2000),The Reluctant Dragon (2000), andBeauty and the Beast (2000). He has also published a novel for young adults,Guardians of Mother Earth(1997).

His play The Birthday Boy had its premier season at the Court Theatre in 2008. A comedy about the joys and perils of parenthood.

Rocking Horse Road, published by Random House NZ in 2007, was long listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2009.

Settlers’ Creek was published by Random House NZ in 2010. It was long listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2012.

Nixon lives in Christchurch.