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Craig Marriner

クレイグ・マリナー

Craig Marriner

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1974 （Rotorua, New Zealand）
Nationality
New Zealand
Languages
English
Residence History
Rotorua (birthplace) → Mount Magnet, Western Australia → Various places in Europe (resided ~4 years)

Career

Occupations
novelist
Active Years
2001-
Influenced By
George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, Robert Fisk, Leon Trotsky, Irvine Welsh (often compared)

Awards

Deutz Medal for Fiction
2002
Work: Stonedogs
Category: フィクション
Organization: Montana New Zealand Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Fiction Prize
2002
Work: Stonedogs
Category: フィクション
Organization: Montana New Zealand Book Awards
Result: 受賞
NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction
2002
Work: Stonedogs
Category: 最優秀処女作（フィクション）
Organization: Montana New Zealand Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship
2004
Organization: Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Stonedogs

2001 Novel / Fiction

Debut novel. A gritty depiction of working-class and youth culture in New Zealand from an outsider's perspective. Noted for its rough humor and vivid portrayals of violence.

working-class lifeyouth cultureviolenceanti-establishmentdark humor
Adaptations
  • [Film (rights optioned)] Stonedogs

Southern Style

2006 Novel / Fiction

Second novel. Praised by some critics as stronger and more composed than his debut, though it attracted more limited mainstream attention.

social observationcharacter studyregional identity

Exclusive: The return of Craig Marriner, the lost genius of New Zealand writing

2018 Short metafiction / essay

A short piece published in The Spinoff that blends metafiction and commentary, framing the author's 'return' and reflecting on his work and status.

authorshipself-referencereturn and absence

Bibliography

  • Stonedogs (2001)
  • Southern Style (2006)
  • Exclusive: The return of Craig Marriner, the lost genius of New Zealand writing (short piece, 2018)

Adaptations

  • Film rights for 'Stonedogs' were optioned by Australian company Mushroom Pictures in 2003; as of 2021 no film had been produced.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
raw, colloquial voice using slang and dialectart-house youth-culture sensibilitysatire and dark humor
Recurring Motifs
working-class viewpointoutsiders and youthcoexistence of violence and humortravel and wandering

Legacy

After winning multiple major awards in 2002 for his debut 'Stonedogs', Marriner entered a prolonged period of relative publishing silence and became a cult figure. Critics and peers have periodically called for his return and reassessment.

In Popular Culture

  • Often referenced as a cult figure in New Zealand contemporary literature

Quotes

  • "I wanted to be seen as a Kiwi art house youth culture-type writer."
    Source: NZ Herald (interview, 2001) (2001)
  • "I hope Craig Marriner will return — the forgotten genius of New Zealand writing."
    Source: Duncan McLean (The Spinoff, 2017) (2017)

Trivia

  • Left high school before completing final year.
  • Worked in Mount Magnet, Western Australia doing geological sampling and related jobs.
  • Spent about four years living and working in various parts of Europe.
  • Debut 'Stonedogs' (2001) won multiple awards at the 2002 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
  • Film rights for 'Stonedogs' were sold to Mushroom Pictures in 2003, but no film had been made as of 2021.
  • Recipient of the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship in 2004.
  • After a long publishing absence, published a short metafiction piece in The Spinoff in 2018.