Maurice Gee 1931 – 2025
The community of New Zealand’s children’s writers mourns the death of Maurice Gee, whose 1979 fantasy novel Under the Mountain is credited as heralding the arrival of an exciting new wave of local children’s publishing, with the emergence of dedicated writers such as Gavin Bishop, David Hill, Tessa Duder, the late Margaret Mahy, William Taylor and Sherryl Jordan.
His novels for young readers, compelling, elegantly written, unflinching but always compassionate, included The Half Men of O trilogy, The Champion, The Fire-Raiser, The World around the Corner and notably The Fat Man, an award winner in 1995 controversial for its dark themes. Screen adaptations of Under the Mountain and The Champion were testament to his skill as a gifted storyteller.
Later in his career he turned to young adult novels with the Salt trilogy and Hostel Girl. His achievements and influence were recognised in 2002 with the country’s top honour for children’s writers, the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal. He remains one of the very few New Zealand authors who have achieved equal acclaim and status as an award-winning novelist for both young readers and adults.
