25 Oct 2016

Recognised for a lifetime of work

From Upbeat, 1:40 pm on 25 October 2016
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement 2016 recipients David Eggleton, Marilyn Duckworth, Professor Atholl Anderson

Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement 2016 recipients David Eggleton, Marilyn Duckworth, Professor Atholl Anderson Photo: Supplied

Marilyn Duckworth is one of three New Zealand writers awarded a 2016 Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement.

The Wellingtonian has published 16 novels, a novella, a collection of short stories and poetry, and an autobiography to her name.

Getting older isn’t quite what she expected, Marilyn says.

“It can be really funny and really scary, but also there are consolations… The main consolation being you don’t care so much about public scrutiny and what they’ll say about you… You feel sort of free.”

The award has given her a huge burst of confidence.

“I’d been cheerfully resigned to being nowhere in the attention span of the literary world. Suddenly it’s here upon me, which is great.”

The other 2016 Prime Minister’s Awards recipients are poet David Eggleton and non-fiction writer Atholl Anderson.