The Auckland writer's festival has received a massive boost with one of its speakers, writer Junot Diaz, winning a Pulitzer Prize today for his very first novel.
The 40-year-old, from the Dominican Republic, won the fiction prize for his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Diaz is down to speak at the ASB Theatre in Auckland's Aotea Centre on Friday May 16th from 7-8pm.
Diaz spent 11 years writing the book about a teenage Dominican who turns to science-fiction novels and Star Trek action figures to overcome heartbreak.
Diaz, who now lives in Jersey in USA, is currently on a writing fellowship in Rome.
His Pulitzer Prize came just one month after receiving the National Book Critics Circle Award for best novel of 2007.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao received wide-ranging tributes in 2007, with Time magazine calling it "astoundingly great".
The Auckland writer's festival goes for five days from May 14th to May 18th.
More on Junot Diaz and the Auckland writer's festival can be found at www.writersfestival.co.nz
- NZ HERALD STAFF
