C.K. Stead

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Christian Karlson Stead, ONZ, CBE (born 17 October 1932) is a New Zealand poet and prose writer whose works include novels, short stories, and literary criticism.

Life
C. K. Stead was born in Auckland. For much of his career he was Professor of English at the University of Auckland, retiring in 1986 to write full-time.

One of Stead's novels, Smith's Dream, provided the basis for the film Sleeping Dogs, starring Sam Neill; this became the first New Zealand film released in the United States.

Recognition
Stead received a CBE in 1985 and was admitted into the highest honour New Zealand can bestow, the Order of New Zealand in 2007.

Mansfield: A Novel was a finalist for the 2005 Tasmania Pacific Fiction Prize and received commendation in the 2005 Commonwealth Writers Prize for the South East Asia and South Pacific region. Stead won the 2010 Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award for 'Last Season’s Man'.

Awards

 * 2009 Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement