Steve Braunias is the current Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellow. Well known as a columnist and commentator, he has had two non-fiction books published and is now working on his first novel.
Read a review of How to Watch a Bird from The New Zealand Herald
BOOKS
How to Watch a Bird
As prize-winning journalist Steve Braunias stands on an apartment balcony on a sultry summer evening, a black-backed gull flies so close he is instantaneously bowled over with happiness: 'I thought: Birds, everywhere. I wanted to know more about them.'
This book is the result - a wondrous personal journey into the amazing world of birds, and the people ensnared, captivated and entranced by them: the passionate tribe of bird-watchers and twitchers.
'A great book, original and captivating - compelling to the end'
-Lloyd Jones
'Steve Braunias's fascination and delight are contagious - and inspirational'
-Grahame Sydney
'Steve Braunias has done for feathered New Zealand what Kerry Packer did for cricket. Even though they don't know it, birds will never be the same again'
-Jeremy Wells
Roosters I Have Known
In 2007, journalist Steve Braunias embarked on a series of 27 interviews, one a week, profiling New Zealanders famous and infamous, both publicity-seekers and those rather keener to hide from the spotlight. All 27 interviews, many of which stirred controversy, hilarity, and even animosity, appear in Roosters I Have Known.
'The work was claustrophobic, ' Braunias writes, 'week after week of the same rigid discipline. First, catch your rooster. Then, sometimes, roast them alive. Now and again I suppose I was ruthless.'
His startling survey of the national psyche, published in the Sunday Star-Times, ranged from the all-out brainy (neuroscientist Richard Faull) to the disturbingly naïve (rape survivor Louise Nicholas), from the vainglorious (Shortland Street actor Adam Rickitt) to the gloriously vain (TV1 Breakfast host Paul Henry), from the food writer in her home (Cuisine's Julie Dalzell) to the war correspondent in someone else's (Fox Television's Anita McNaught 'embedded' in Iraq).
And as election year was approaching, Braunias also took us to our leaders - Labour's Helen Clark, National's John Key, the Maori Party's Pita Sharples - and to some very weird mayoral wannabes. You may never vote again.
Known for his cutting wit, Braunias surprised readers last year with his book How to Watch a Bird. An account of his experiences on the path to becoming a bird-watcher and a father, the book was described by reviewers as surprisingly tender. It hit the best-seller list.
Fish of the Week
For a decade Steve Braunias's weekly columns have amused and enraged readers of first the Listener and then The Sunday Star-Times. His blend of opinion, humour and personal revelation has made him one of the country's most talked-about writers. He has won more awards than almost any other New Zealand journalist. This book features his personal selection of columns from the Listener and The Sunday Star-Times over the past five years.