CK Stead and Charlotte Grimshaw at AWRF 2013: "Our monied world"

Tricia from Collections went to hear a famous father and daughter, both with a talent for fiction and recently published novels with one-word titles.

What an interesting session, both humorous and informative. I was not sure what to expect and the smaller Lower NZI room lent itself to creating an intimate living room atmosphere as we were introduced to father and daughter CK Stead and Charlotte Grimshaw by chair Steve Braunias.

CK Stead

CK Stead is one of New Zealand’s finest writers. He publishes across several disciplines, fiction, poetry, short story, essay and criticism.  Charlotte Grimshaw is a critically acclaimed fiction writer and an award-winning reviewer.

This was the first time they appeared together on the same stage. Charlotte did not want to be seen as using her father's influence to succeed and was committed to gaining recognition through her own literary efforts. She grew up in an inescapable ‘writing’ environment where intellectual debate and involvement in political events were encouraged. She did complete a Law degree and practised as a lawyer before following her own pathway to a career with the written word.

We were informed that it was a pure coincidence that their recently published novels both draw on the worlds of money, politics and contemporary society.

Published in 2012, CK Stead’s novel Risk is set in London in 2002 and looks at the world through the eyes of a recently divorced New Zealander who is working in the world of finance. No stranger to controversy, Stead set his book in an era of decline for the ‘Western’ empire, and focuses on a society where lies, greed and lack of morality prevail.

Charlotte’s novel Soon, also published in 2012, follows the characters of The night book which came out in 2010. It focuses on wealth and the political scene, looking at character, morality and the extent to which individuals are responsible for their own actions. In all likelihood we can look forward to another novel following the characters in The night book and Soon.

Father and daughter are justifiably proud of each other's achievements and it was a privilege to listen to their collective and individual passion for creating powerful fictional landscapes.

-- Tricia Alexander