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Ronald Hugh Morrieson (29 January 1922 – 26 December 1972) was a novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular, who was little known in his home country until after his death. He earned his living as a musician and music teacher, and played in dance bands throughout south Taranaki.
Ronald Hugh Morrieson, novelist and short story writer, was born, lived, wrote and died in South Taranaki. Four feature films based on his work have been released, yet conservative critics had difficulty with the violence and sexuality of his writing and its failure to conform to the literary values of the period.
These annual Awards honour the work of local novelist and short story writer Ronald Hugh Morrieson (29 January 1922 – 26 December 1972). Morrieson wrote four novels: coming of age tale The Scarecrow (1963), Came a Hot Friday (1964), Predicament (published in 1975) and his only contemporary novel Pallet on the Floor (1976).
Ronald Hugh Morrieson holds a unique place in New Zealand literature. No other writer has so vividly depicted New Zealand provincial life or captured its colloquial language. Morrieson’s life – its isolation and oddity and his premature death – has also captured the imagination.
His remark, ‘I hope I’m not another one of these poor buggers who get discovered when they’re dead’ became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Morrieson was born on 29 January 1922 and lived his entire life in the house built by his grandfather at the corner of Regent Street and South Road, Hawera.
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- December 26, 1972
- January 29, 1922
Ronald Hugh Morrieson. (1922—1972) Quick Reference. (1922–72), novelist and short story writer, was born, lived, wrote and died in Hawera, South Taranaki. He was domiciled entirely in the home of his mother, with very occasional breaks ... From: Morrieson, Ronald Hugh in The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature » Subjects: Literature.
Ronald Hugh Morrieson - Ronald Hugh Morrieson fashioned dark yet exuberant novels from the provincial Taranaki towns where he spent most of his life. A classic Kiwi example of a writer who won increasing fame after death, Morrieson remains one of New Zealand's most filmed writers, despite writing only four books.
