Alison Wong Alison Wong i(A82923 works by)
Born: Established: Hawke's Bay, North Island,
c
New Zealand,
c
Pacific Region, ;
Gender: Female
Heritage: Chinese ; New Zealander
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

BiographyHistory

Alison Wong studied mathematics, and later creative writing, at Victoria University of Wellington. She then spent several years in China, and worked in Information Technology. Wong has undertaken writers' fellowships in New Zealand and in 2009 she won the Janet Frame Award for Fiction.

Wong's first novel, As the Earth Turns Silver, was shortlisted in 2010 for both the New Zealand PostBook Awards and the Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards.

Living in Geelong, Victoria, Wong continues to write fiction and poetry.

Source: Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website, http://www.arts.gov.au/
Sighted: 15/07/2010

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon As the Earth Turns Silver Sydney : Picador , 2009 Z1708801 2009 single work novel historical fiction

'It is 1905 and brothers Yung and Shun eke out a living as green grocers near Wellington's bustling Chinatown. The pair work to support their families back in China, but know they must adapt if they are to survive and prosper in their adopted home.

'Nearby, Katherine McKechnie struggles to raise her rebellious son and daughter following the death of her husband Donald. A strident right-wing newspaperman, Donald terrorised his family, though was idolised by his son.

'Chancing upon Yung's grocery store one day, Katherine is touched by the Chinaman's unexpected generosity. In time, a clandestine relationship develops between the immigrant and the widow, a relationship Katherine's son Robbie cannot abide...

'As World War I rolls on, and young men are swept up on a tide of macho patriotism, Robbie takes his family's honour into his own hands. In doing so, he places his mother at the heart of a tragedy that will affect everyone and everything she holds dear.'
2011 longlisted International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
2010 finalist Ockham New Zealand Book Awards
2010 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Fiction
VIEW ALL AWARDS
Last amended 21 Jan 2014 17:37:28
Other mentions of "" in AustLit:
    X