[pima.nius] Albert Wendt wins Commonwealth Writers Prize

Source: Huia Publishers - http://www.huia.co.nz/?sn=31&st=1&pg=486

Albert Wendt wins Commonwealth Writers Prize

'The Adventures of Vela' by Albert Wendt, one of New Zealand's and the
Pacific's foremost storytellers, has won the Commonwealth Writer's
Prize for the Asia Pacific Region.
"It is a great honour to be recognised in this way" said Albert Wendt
at the Awards Ceremony in Sydney last night. "Vela has been a
character I have thought about for a long time so this has been a
lifetime's work".

The Adventures of Vela was published by Aotearoa New Zealand-based
Huia Publishers. Huia Managing Director Robyn Bargh attended the
winners ceremony with Albert Wendt. "We were honoured to have
published The Adventures of Vela and to see Albert's work recognised
in this way shows he is one of the worlds leading indigenous writers".

Regional Chair for South East Asia and Pacific, Dr Anne Brewster said
"The high standard of books in the South East Asia and Pacific region
this year ensured that the short-listing process was a challenge for
the judges". This year's finalists included J. M. Coetzee (Australia
and Nobel Prize Winner), Peter Carey (Australia) and Thomas Keneally
(Australia).

The Adventures of Vela will now go through to the final phase of the
competition where an international judging panel will meet to decide
the overall Commonwealth winners for Best Book and Best First Book
with other regional winners from Africa, Caribbean, Canada, South Asia
and Europe. The panel will meet in Delhi, India and the announcement
of the two overall winners will take place on Monday 12 April 2010.

Albert Wendt was Professor of New Zealand and Pacific Literature at
the University of Auckland from 1988 to 2006, and held the Citizens'
Chair at the University of Hawaii from 2004 to 2008. He is now
Emeritus Professor at the University of Auckland, and is writing and
painting full-time.

He is of the Aiga Sa-Maualaivao of Malie, the Aiga Sa-Su'a of Lefaga,
the Aiga Sa-Malietoa of Sapapaali'i, and the Aiga Sa-Patu and Sa-Asi
of Vaiala and Moata'a.

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aotearoa, new zealand
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