David Coventry
David Henry Halford Coventry | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 2, 1969 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Genre | Literary Fiction |
| Notable awards | Hubert Church Award for Fiction |
| Years active | 2010 - |
| Website | |
| davidhhcoventry | |
David Henry Halford Coventry (born 2 October 1969)[1] was born in Wellington, New Zealand and is an author[2] and musician. His first novel, The Invisible Mile (2015), was the winner of the 2016 Hubert Church Award for Fiction,[3] and finalist for both the Ockham New Zealand Book Award [4] and the Sports Book Awards in the United Kingdom.[5] His work has been compared to Don DeLillo, Toni Morrisson, Thomas Mann.[6]
Education[change | change source]
Coventry went to the Hutt Valley High School from 1983 to 1986. He then studied at the Victoria University of Wellington, for a degree in English Literature and Religious Studies, and a Honours Degree in English Literature (2001) and a Masters in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters (2010). He lives in Wellington, New Zealand.
The Invisible Mile[change | change source]
His novel, The Invisible Mile, is set during the 1928 Tour de France. It was described in the Sydney Morning Herald as its pick of the week: "David Coventry's poetic odyssey relates ... with symbolic force and poetic finesse."[7] The New York Times included it in its book of the week section.[8] David Coventry is among the best New Zealand authors.[9]
In an interview Coventry said: "The book is not trying to be a metaphor for the war, but for remembering the war." [6] The novel creates its own legends around the riders and pays homage to ancestral competitors.[10]
Awards and appearances[change | change source]
Coventry was the 2015 winner of the Todd New Writer's Bursary. He was a guest at the 2016 Edinburgh International Book Festival, the International Festival of Authors in Toronto (2017), the New Zealand Festival's Writer's Week (2016), the Auckland Writers Festival (2016), and the Nelson Arts Festival (2016).
Music[change | change source]
As a sound engineer he has produced works for the experimental groups Thela,[11] La Gloria and Empirical[12] He also played in the groups La Gloria and Empirical.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Coventry, David (2016). The Invisible Mile (2nd ed.). United Kingdom: Picador. p. Cover Sleeve. ISBN 9781776560431.
- ↑ "'The invisible mile', the acclaimed narrative debut of David Coventry". Culturemas. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ↑ "Past Winners | New Zealand Book Awards Trust". www.nzbookawards.nz. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
- ↑ Christian, Dionne (2016-05-06). "Contest for top book should be a thriller". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ↑ "Sports Book Awards | Cycling Book of the Year". sportsbookawards.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Niedenthal, Alec. "New Routes in Fiction: David Coventry with Alec Niedenthal". The Brooklyn Rail. The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ↑ Woodhead, Cameron. "The Invisible Mile review: David Coventry's poetic odyssey in the Tour de France". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ↑ Stuart, Jan. "Debut Novels for Armchair Olympians, Rom-Com Fans, and More". New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ↑ "Faith, Filth, Food, Water, Wine, Blister, Drug". Landfall Review Online. 2015-10-31. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
- ↑ Short, Joe. "Book Review: The Invisible Mile". Daily Express. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ↑ "Thela - Thela". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
- ↑ "LA Gloria, Empirical - LA Gloria / Empirical". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
