Gregory O'Brien


Gregory Leo O’Brien is a New Zealand poet, painter, author and editor. He is also an art curator and writes art history and criticism for both adults and children.

Life

Born in Matamata in 1961, O'Brien trained as a journalist in Auckland and worked as a newspaper reporter in Northland. He graduated from the University of Auckland.
He lives in Wellington, and is married to poet Jenny Bornholdt.

Awards and honours

In 2012 O'Brien received the Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement, and became an Arts Foundation Laureate. In the 2014 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the arts and in 2017 received an honorary doctorate of literature from Victoria University of Wellington.

Works

Poetry and poetry collections and prose writing

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  • Location of the Least Person Dunes and Barns Man with a Child’s Violin Great Lake Malachi, a charming verse novella
  • , Winter I Was Afternoon of an Evening Train News of the Swimmer Reaches Shore Beauties of the Octagonal Pool Always song in the water House and Contents
His poetry has also appeared in many anthologies including Islands, Landfall, Sport, Meanjin and Scripsi, and in His poetry has frequently been set to music by New Zealand composers.

Novel

  • Diesel Mystic

Anthologies

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Art History and Criticism

Lands and Deeds: Profiles of Contemporary New Zealand Painters After Bathing At Baxter's, Victoria University Press, 2002.Parihaka: The Art of Passive Resistance A Nest of Singing Birds: 100 Years of the New Zealand School Journal A Micronaut in the Wide World: The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy His Own Stream: The Work of Barry Brickell Don Binney: Flight Path
O'Brien also appeared regularly on Kim Hill's Radio New Zealand show to talk about poetry.

Art works

O'Brien regularly exhibits his work, and his art is included in many of the major art collections of New Zealand, including the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellingtons, the Hocken Library, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collection; the University of Auckland Art Collection and the Chartwell Collection.
He also illustrates the work of other authors for books and book covers.