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Hello friend!

Spring is upon us and we’re excited to share with you all the blossoming Australian and New Zealand activity here in the UK, as well as some fabulous books to get stuck into – starting with Michelle de Kretser’s latest, which has won the Rathbones Folio Prize for fiction…

The Australian author was named the winner of the prestigious award at a London ceremony this week for her new novel, Scary Monsters. Described by the Rathbones Folio Prize judges as “a work of beautifully composed genius”, the book has two covers and contains two first-person narratives – one set in 1981, and the other in a dystopian near-future. The order in which they are read is left to the reader. The judges added: “It is a sublime novel that slips, fascinates and terrifies at once… deserves to be read again and again.”

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Light at the End of the Tunnel

April
For three nights only, Newcastle Cathedral will invite visitors to enjoy an audio-visual art trail celebrating humanity and our search for hope. Open 6.30-9.30pm on 12, 13 and 14 April, Light at the End of the Tunnel features six artists including UK-based award-winning Māori designer Frederick Worrell. They each respond to the Cathedral’s invitation to “bring forward feelings of hope, light and joy”, and their work shines a light on some of the Cathedral’s most beautiful and meaningful spaces.

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Homecoming – new book by Kate Morton

April
Homecoming by Kate Morton

Kate Morton’s hugely anticipated seventh book, Homecoming, will be published in the UK on 13 April. Morton is Australia’s number one international bestselling author, having sold more than 16 million books in 42 countries. Homecoming is an epic novel that spans generations and asks what we would do for those we love, and how we protect the lies we tell. It explores the power of motherhood, the corrosive effects of tightly held secrets, and the healing nature of truth. Above all, it is a beguiling and immensely satisfying novel from one of the finest writers working today.

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Did I Ever Tell You This?

The captivating new memoir by New Zealand actor and FANZA arts patron Sam Neill has been described by polymath Stephen Fry as "hilarious, wicked, wonderful, kind, thoughtful, engaging and wise". Written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, the book tells the story of how the Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders star became one of the world’s most celebrated actors. It is a joy to read, a marvellous and often very funny book. Neill is a natural storyteller who is a superb observer of other people, and who writes with love and warmth about his family. It is also his account of his life outside film, especially in Central Otago where he established Two Paddocks, his vineyard famous for its pinot noir.

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Blanchett and Wheeler win big

Cate Blanchett wins BAFTA for Tar

Australian star Cate Blanchett won the Best Actress accolade for her performance as a composer-conductor in Tár at the British Academy Awards (BAFTAs) in London in February. As ambassador for the UK/Australia Season last year, Blanchett helped with the major cultural exchange between the Government of Australia and the British Council, supported by FANZA. Congratulations are also in order to Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler, who won the prestigious Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing in March.

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Spring book recommendations…

  • Not Now, Not Ever by Australia’s former prime minister Julia Gillard looks at where we are now following her world- famous “misogyny speech” in Parliament House in 2012.
  • Booker Prize-winning author Eleanor Catton’s latest novel, Birnam Wood, is a gripping psychological thriller that’s “Shakespearean in its wit, drama and immersion in character”.
  • The Royal Correspondent by Alexandra Joel – out in May – is a sumptuous novel about a young Australian female reporter with a deadly secret. Set in 1960s Sydney and London.
  • All Sorts of Lives by Claire Harman – a compact but comprehensive new portrait of New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield’s work, relevance and wonderfully inspiring personality.

Looking ahead...

  • Sam Neill is keeping busy – he will star opposite Annette Bening in the new TV drama, Apples Never Fall, based on Australian author Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name. Filming is underway in Queensland.
  • Popular New Zealand electronica band Pitch Black return to the London stage in July after a four-year hiatus.
  • Fat Freddy’s Drop, the seven-piece band from New Zealand known for their thrilling improvised live performances, return to the UK this summer.
  • Our favourite Cabaret Queen, Dolly Diamond, is returning to the UK! Dolly Diamond’s Rather Large Variety Show will be staged in London and at Edinburgh Festival this summer – stay tuned for more details.
  • The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the acclaimed novel by New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based writer Heather Morris is being turned into a six-part Sky TV series.

And finally...

A huge thank you for helping us get to over 400 followers on Instagram! We love sharing all the latest news and events with you on social media, so if you don’t already, please follow us on Twitter and Instagram – and spread the word…

The FANZA Team

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