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Draft:Romesh Dissanayake

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Romesh Dissanayake was born in Kazakhstan (1988) and is an award-winning Sri Lankan and Koryo-saram writer now based between New Zealand and Australia.[1] While he is best known for his literary fiction and poetry, he also came to prominence in Wellington for his work in the culinary arts.[2]

Writing and awards

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Dissanayake won the 2022 Modern Letters Fiction prize for his Masters project 'when I open the shop' at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington.[3] In 2024 that project was released as his debut novel with Te Herenga Waka University Press. The book received positive reviews including in The Spinoff, Radio New Zealand and Metro magazine, and Kete Books.[4][5][6][7]

Months later he was one of three writers included in the AUP New Poets 10 collection, an irregular forum from Auckland University Press for rising stars of New Zealand poetry to be featured.[8] Off the back of these two works, in mid 2024 Dissanayake was named 'one of the bright new stars of New Zealand fiction' by New Zealand Listener.[9] He also appeared at all major writing festivals in New Zealand throughout 2024, including Auckland Writers Festival and Word Christchurch[10][11] and was featured in New Zealand Herald's focus on tastemakers in Wellington.[12]

He has also written across a wide range of mediums including for art gallery Enjoy Contemporary Art Space, with a focus on the intersection of food and art,[13] creative writing with Newsroom,[14] poetry in The Spinoff,[15] and a contribution to the Auckland University Press published A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand anthology.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "romesh dissanayake | Satellites Archive". www.satellites.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  2. ^ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  3. ^ Letters, Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Institute of Modern (2024-07-30). "Prize winners | Te Pūtahi Tuhi Auaha o Te Ao / International Institute of Modern Letters | Te Herenga Waka". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  4. ^ Ballard, Maddie (2024-04-18). "A love letter to Wellington: when i open the shop by romesh dissanayake, reviewed". The Spinoff. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  5. ^ "Book review: When I open the shop by Romesh Dissanayake". RNZ. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  6. ^ Brooks, Sam. "Metro — Open for Business". www.metromag.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  7. ^ "Review — When I Open the Shop". www.ketebooks.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  8. ^ Robertson, Phoebe (2024-05-26). "Review: Tarot, by Jack Arthur | AUP New Poets 10". Salient. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  9. ^ "Meet the bright new stars of NZ fiction". NZ Herald. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  10. ^ "Writer: romesh dissanayake - Writers • Auckland Writers Festival". www.writersfestival.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  11. ^ "romesh dissanayake". Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  12. ^ "Free radicals: Who's shaping Wellington now? Meet the creative vanguard taking over our capital". NZ Herald. 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  13. ^ Dissanayake, Romesh. "A Champloo of Sealed Earth | Enjoy Contemporary Art Space". enjoy.org.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  14. ^ dissanayake, romesh (2023-10-23). "To conservative and change-resistant attitudes". Newsroom. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  15. ^ dissanayake, romesh (2023-09-08). "The Friday Poem: 'Six Am in Colombo/ Cinnamon Gardens' by romesh dissanayake". The Spinoff. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  16. ^ "Authors and Editors - R - romesh dissanayake - Auckland University Press". aucklanduniversitypress.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-10-11.