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A chat with NZer Kirsty Gunn, Professor of Creative Writing at Dundee University, Scotland

On a rooftop terrace overlooking the Portobello Road in London, earlier this week I interviewed Kirsty Gunn.  Kirsty is the Professor of Creative Writing at Dundee University in Scotland, and is an award-winning novelist.

Her early novel 'Rain' was made into a movie, which will be more familiar I expect, than her latest triumph called 'The Boy and The Sea'.  It won the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year 2007.  Curiously, it was not entered into the Montana Book Awards in NZ, but there you go.......

More than just a great surfer story, it is a short novella which is about rites of passage to manhood.  I reckon it's gonna make a great movie, in the right hands.

In the attached sound file, Kirsty talks about the NZ-ness behind this book, her inspirations and the squidge of black sand between her toes.

Comments

Diane

November 15, 2009 at 7:46 pm

Hello
my name is Diane and im 12 i read the book and it was amazing ! and in my english book report im doing it about the book "The Boy and The Sea." and i was wondering where i could find some photos related to it.

Matt Cooney

November 18, 2009 at 2:45 pm

Hi Diane,

As you probably know, there are no images in the book, just the cover. Could you use some generic surfing photos? There is also a picture of Diane at her publishers' website:

http://www.faber.co.uk/author/kirsty-gunn/

Good luck with your report!

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