Skip to content
Novitz, Julian
Writer's File

Julian Novitz

Wellington - Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Novitz, Julian
In brief
Julian Novitz is a short story writer and novelist. His first award-winning collection of short fiction, My Real Life and other stories, was followed 2006 by his first novel, Holocaust Tours. Michael Larson said of his first book, a collection of interconnected stories, ‘It is Novitz’s sure sense of perspective which stakes him out as a writer worthy of serious consideration.’ Novitz won the 2008 Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award for his story ‘Three Couples’.
Bio

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Novitz, Julian (1980 - ) is a short fiction writer and novelist. His first work, My Real Life and Other Stories (Random House, 2004) is a collection of interconnected short stories.

Julian Novitz was born in Christchurch and educated at the University of Canterbury, where he studied history and philosophy. In 2002 he relocated to Wellington to complete an MA in Creative Writing at Victoria University.

About My Real Life and Other Stories, Michael Larsen in the Dominion Post writes, ‘It is Novitz’s sure sense of perspective which stakes him out as a writer worthy of serious consideration.’ Larsen goes on to comment that ‘while the stories are strongly focused on university life and the trials and tribulations of young, generally white urban people, the themes are universal, and the writing strong enough that they will have broad appeal…Definitely one to watch.’

My Real Life and Other Stories won the New Zealand Society of Authors Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2005.

Holocaust Tours (Random House, 2006) is Novitz’s first novel.

In 2008, he won the Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award for his story ‘Three Couples’.

He was the 2009 Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellow.

Julian Novitz was shortlisted for the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

Novitz lives in Wellington.