Fiona Kidman wins award

Press, 10 June 1987, Page 49

Fiona Kidman wins award

PA Wellington The Wellington writer, Fiona Kidman, has won the 1987 Mobil New Zealand Outlook Short Story Award. Her story, “Earthly Shadows,” was chosen from 465 entries by the world-renowned author, Fay Weldon. Ms Kidman wins $lOOO and a trophy of a silver quill set in greenstone. “Earthly Shadows” is a light-hearted look at how an aspiring writer tries to sell his play to the Broadcasting Corporation. It is a reflection on the difficulties of being a writer and the compromises that are imposed upon ambitious people. The runner-up was Albert Wendt, with “Black Rainbow,” the story of a Pacific Islander returning to Auckland to live for a time. It takes its title from a painting by Ralph Hotere, and raises various social and racial issues. Its author is Professor of Pacific Literature at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. Last year he was the foundation visiting professor in Pacific literature at Auckland University. Third place went to Barbara Anderson, of Wellington, for her story, “Commitment,” which explores the contrasts between two marriages.