Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Dylan Horrocks named as 2018 International Institute of Modern Letters Writer in Residence

Above: Dylan Horrocks. Photo copyright Grant Maiden 2015.

Today it was announced that graphic novelist Dylan Horrocks has been appointed as the Victoria University of Wellington International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) and Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence for 2018. He is the first graphic novelist to be awarded this position!

The following statement was announced at Graham Beattie's Book Blog:

Celebrated for his ground-breaking book 'Hicksville', Mr Horrocks has also published other books including 'Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen', and 'Incomplete Works'. His work has been published internationally, with translations into French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Danish, Polish and Korean. Hicksville was ranked #12 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 50 Best Non-Superhero Graphic Novels of All Time.

Mr Horrocks was named as a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate in 2016 and has received many awards, including an Eisner (USA) Award in 2002 and a Sir Julius Vogel Award in 2012. In 2006 he was the University of Auckland-Creative New Zealand Literary Fellow.

Director of the International Institute of Modern Letters, Damien Wilkins, says, “Dylan is an international figure in the world of graphic novels and a brilliant commentator on his art. His books are taught by the English programme at Victoria. He is a vital voice in New Zealand culture and it will be exciting to have him at the IIML.”

Commenting on the appointment, Mr Horrocks says, “I'm absolutely thrilled at this chance to be part of Victoria’s lively creative writing community. I'm looking forward to discovering the work of students and staff and feeding off all those powerful literary emanations. Above all, it's a wonderful opportunity to work with obsessive dedication on my next book: a graphic novel about playing Dungeons & Dragons.”

Mr Horrocks takes up the residency at the IIML on 1 February 2018.

Congratulations to Dylan, and all the best for his work in the forthcoming year! For more information on Dylan Horrocks and his work, you can visit his website HERE.

- AK!

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