There are 40 entries in the longlist, released today. Photos / Supplied
The longlist for New Zealand's most prestigious book awards has now been released - with more than a dozen first-time authors making the cut.
Books exploring issues of identity, domestic life, war, food, our natural world and our people are among the 40 works of poetry, prose and non-fiction longlisted for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, announced today.
The works were selected from 179 entries, and include 13 first-time authors - which book awards trustee Jenna Todd said was "extraordinary".
It was a testament to the vibrancy of the country's literature, she said.
"There is such vitality in this year's longlist, demonstrated by a diverse group, and including young and first-time authors. Half of this year's Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for fiction longlistees are debut novelists, which is extraordinary. They sit alongside some of our greatest living writers," Todd said.
"There's a year's worth of reading here for those seeking considered perspectives on our modern zeitgeist, for readers wanting to be wowed by the beauty of art and nature, or for those wanting to escape into imagined realities.
"With writing and publishing of this calibre, it's no surprise that New Zealand's book boom continues."
Revenue from sales of New Zealand-published adult books captured by Nielsen BookScan in 2020 was up 12.5 per cent on the year before, despite the challenges of the pandemic.
Submissions to the awards have also increased by 16 per cent over the past two years.
The Illustrated Non-Fiction category also has a new sponsor this year, with Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand securing the naming rights for the next five years.
Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand chairwoman Juliet Blyth said the association – which celebrates its centenary this year – was delighted to support the awards.
"Booksellers around the country hold these awards in high esteem, and the impact the awards have on sales of New Zealand books is immediate," she said.
"Throughout 2020, booksellers around the country enjoyed the support of many New Zealanders reading more and buying locally. We wanted to demonstrate our appreciation, on behalf of our members, by giving back to the industry, the writers, the illustrators and the publishers who have created so many wonderful stories for booksellers to put on their shelves."
The 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist of 16 titles will be announced on March 3.
The winners, including the four MitoQ Best First Book awards, will be announced at a public ceremony in May during the 2021 Auckland Writers Festival.
Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction
Nothing to See by Pip Adam (Victoria University Press)
Bug Week by Airini Beautrais (Victoria University Press)
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey (Victoria University Press)
Sprigs by Brannavan Gnanalingam (Lawrence & Gibson)
Victory Park by Rachel Kerr (Mākaro Press)
The Swimmers by Chloe Lane (Victoria University Press)
Fake Baby by Amy McDaid (Penguin, Penguin Random House)
2000ft Above Worry Level by Eamonn Marra (Victoria University Press)
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (Fourth Estate, HarperCollins)
Toto Among the Murderers by Sally J. Morgan (John Murray Press, Hachette)
Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry
The Savage Coloniser Book by Tusiata Avia (Victoria University Press)
Funkhaus by Hinemoana Baker (Victoria University Press)
Far-Flung by Rhian Gallagher (Auckland University Press)
National Anthem by Mohamed Hassan (Dead Bird Books)
Wow by Bill Manhire (Victoria University Press)
Goddess Muscle by Karlo Mila (Huia Publishers)
Pins by Natalie Morrison (Victoria University Press)
This is Your Real Name by Elizabeth Morton (Otago University Press)
I Am a Human Being by Jackson Nieuwland (Compound Press)
Magnolia by Nina Mingya Powles (Seraph Press)
Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction
Marti Friedlander: Portraits of the Artists by Leonard Bell (Auckland University Press)
Hiakai: Modern Māori Cuisine by Monique Fiso (Godwit, Penguin Random House)
An Exquisite Legacy: The Life and Work of New Zealand Naturalist G.V. Hudson by George Gibbs (Potton & Burton)
Observations of a Rural Nurse by Sara McIntyre (Massey University Press)
Shining Land: Looking for Robin Hyde by Paula Morris and Haru Sameshima (Massey University Press)
Off the Beaten Track: Hunting Tales from the New Zealand Back Country by Dave Shaw (Bateman Books)
Colin McCahon: Is this the Promised Land? Vol. 2 1960-1987 by Peter Simpson (Auckland University Press)
Nature — Stilled by Jane Ussher (Te Papa Press)
Karl Maughan edited by Hannah Valentine and Gabriella Stead (Auckland University Press and Gow Langsford Gallery)
Endless Sea: Stories Told Through the Taonga of the New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui te Ananui a Tangaroa by Frances Walsh and Jane Ussher (Massey University Press)
General Non-Fiction Award
The Mirror Steamed Over: Love and Pop in London, 1962 by Anthony Byrt (Auckland University Press)
Crossing the Lines: The Story of Three Homosexual New Zealand Soldiers in World War II by Brent Coutts (Otago University Press)
Not in Narrow Seas: The Economic History of Aotearoa New Zealand by Brian Easton (Victoria University Press)
Bus Stops on the Moon: Red Mole Days 1974-1980 by Martin Edmond (Otago University Press)
Specimen: Personal Essays by Madison Hamill (Victoria University Press)
This Pākehā Life: An Unsettled Memoir by Alison Jones (Bridget Williams Books)
Te Hāhi Mihinare |The Māori Anglican Church by Hirini Kaa (Bridget Williams Books)
The Dark is Light Enough: Ralph Hotere a Biographical Portrait by Vincent O'Sullivan (Penguin, Penguin Random House)
You Have A Lot to Lose: A Memoir 1956-1986 by C.K. Stead (Auckland University Press)
Towards Compostela: Walking the Camino de Santiago by Catharina van Bohemen (The Cuba Press).