Rt Hon John Key
Prime Minister
16 October 2013
Media Statement
PM congratulates NZ author on Man Booker Prize
Prime Minister John Key has congratulated New Zealand author Eleanor Catton on winning the Man Booker Prize for her
novel The Luminaries, announced in London today.
“This is a hugely significant achievement on the world stage for a New Zealander,” Mr Key says.
“It is made even more extraordinary by the fact that Eleanor Catton, at 28 years of age, is the youngest ever author to
receive the prize, and The Luminaries is only her second novel.
“This will be a tremendous boost for young New Zealanders in the arts and is a testament to the obvious talent and hard
work of Eleanor Catton,” Mr Key says.
Ms Catton is the first New Zealander to win the Man Booker Prize since Keri Hulme in 1985 for The Bone People.
ENDS