Catherine Robertson
Catherine Robertson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Author, literary critic, broadcaster |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Novels, literary criticism, broadcasting on Radio New Zealand's The Panel |
Catherine Robertson (born 1966 in Wellington) is a distinguished New Zealand author, literary critic, and broadcaster. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Victoria University of Wellington and has professional experience as a magazine feature journalist, advertising copywriter, and proprietor of a business consultancy.
Before releasing her debut novel in 2011, Robertson spent time living in San Francisco and the United Kingdom. Her development as a writer was supported by creative writing programs, notably one at Victoria University’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML). In 2012, she served as New Zealand’s representative at the Frankfurt Book Fair and later completed a Master of Arts in creative writing at IIML in 2015 under the mentorship of Emily Perkins.
Her literary work has been featured in journals such as HOME, Turbine, and Sport. Some of her novels have reached audiences beyond New Zealand, with editions published in Germany and Italy. Multiple titles have achieved the status of number one best sellers within New Zealand. Robertson contributes reviews on contemporary literature to publications including the NZ Listener, Booknotes Unbound, and New Zealand Books, and is a regular panelist on Radio New Zealand’s program The Panel.
Robertson has participated as a speaker, panel member, or moderator at prominent literary events like the New Zealand Book Council’s True Stories Told Live (2012), IIML Writers on Monday (2015), Auckland Writers Festival (2018), WORD Christchurch, NZSA National Writers Forum, Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, and LitCrawl Wellington. She has also held the position of chair for the NZ Society of Authors’ Wellington branch and is an active board member of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Additionally, she belongs to Romance Writers of New Zealand.
In 2015, she presented the Book Council podcast titled Talking Books. Together with Paula Morris, Robertson co-wrote a 2016 report that examined reasons behind the low readership of local fiction among New Zealand adults.
She is married and has two grown sons, one of whom is the writer Callum Robertson. Up until its closure in early 2024, she co-owned Good Books bookshop in Wellington. Currently, she divides her residence between Wellington and Hawke's Bay.
Honours and awards
The Hiding Places received the Nelson Public Libraries Award for New Zealand Fiction in 2015.
In 2020, Robertson was appointed as the Creative New Zealand/International Institute of Modern Letters Writer in Residence.
Bibliography
- The Hiding Places (Penguin Random House NZ, 2015)
The Imperfect Lives series:
- The Sweet Second Life of Darrell Kincaid (Random House, 2011; Heyne, Germany, 2012; Corbaccio, Italy, 2012)
- The Not So Perfect Life of Mo Lawrence (Random House, 2012; Heyne, Germany, 2012)
- The Misplaced Affections of Charlotte Fforbes (Random House NZ, 2013)
- The Midlife Misgivings of Edward Marsh (Imperfect Press, 2021)
Gabriel's Bay series:
- Gabriel’s Bay (Penguin Random House NZ, 2018)
- What You Wish For (Penguin Random House NZ, 2019)
- Spellbound (Penguin Random House NZ, 2021)
Flora Valley series:
- Corkscrew You (HarperCollins, 2024)
- You're so Vine (One More Chapter, 2024)
- Kiss my Glass (One More Chapter, 2024)
External links
- Catherine Robertson's website
- Biography at New Zealand Book Council: Te Kaunihera Pukapuka o Aotearoa
- Biography at ANZL: Academy of New Zealand Literature: Te Whare Mātātuhi o Aotearoa