Marriner, Craig 1974-

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Marriner, Craig 1974-

PERSONAL:

Born 1974, in Rotorua, New Zealand.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Vintage, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER:

Writer. Has worked as a gold miner in Australia, as a security guard at soccer stadiums in England, and as emcee at a comedy club in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Deutz Medal, 2002, for Stonedogs; Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship, 2004.

WRITINGS:

Stonedogs (novel), Vintage (New York, NY), 2002.

ADAPTATIONS:

An option to the film rights to Stonedogs was sold to Mushroom Pictures.

SIDELIGHTS:

Craig Marriner was born and raised in Rotorua, New Zealand. He eventually left his native country to spend time traveling through Australia, Europe, Turkey, and Morocco, working at a variety of jobs as he went. Marriner's first novel, Stonedogs, explores the violent underworld of New Zealand's urban areas. Gangs, drugs, drinking, and violence figure prominently in the tale, as the central characters try to pull off a plot that goes terribly awry. Juliana Austen, a reviewer for the Auckland City Libraries Web site, rated the novel "very accomplished," praising both the fast-paced plot and the provocative subject matter. Austen advised readers that the book is very realistic in its depiction of extreme violence and its consequences, and cautioned that it is not suitable reading for all audiences. Margie Thomson, commenting on Stonedogs for the New Zealand Herald, similarly warned of the book's graphic violence, but noted it is "blackly" humorous as well.

Craig was awarded a Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship in 2004, allowing him to devote time to finishing a second novel, one which depicts the Australian/New Zealand society in London, and to begin work on a third novel.