Inaugural Literature Bursary Awarded

The William Broughton Bursary was awarded for the first time this month to aspiring fiction writer and Massey University student Bonnie Etherington.

The 22-year old is a Bachelor of Arts Honours student in English who says she has always loved reading and writing. She one day hopes to pursue an academic career teaching tertiary level English.

The bursary’s sponsor Dr William Broughton, who has a strong passion for New Zealand literature, was an academic staff member in the School of English and Media Studies from 1963 to 2004.

Dr Broughton hopes to share the delights of local literature through the creation of this award and aims to help provide financial support to students undertaking papers in New Zealand literature.

Dr Broughton jokes he could be taking a Greek holiday or doing up a Harley Davidson but instead he wants to assist aspiring graduate students to achieve in English.

“A bursary like this suggests to people you are doing something important,” Dr Broughton says. “It gives academic legitimacy to a project that will help foster new insights into New Zealand literature.”

Bonnie’s winning research project is based on Emily Perkins’ Novel about my Wife. Bonnie is currently investigating how Generation X, middle ageism and mental illnesses correlate in the novel.

“I was on a flight home and I was reading Novel about my Wife and I knew this was what I was wanting to do my honours on,” says Bonnie.

“I’m very grateful to Dr Broughton and to the university for this award and at the end of the day I’m doing something that I love anyway.

Bonnie has also won a handful other awards including the 2011 AA Directions Magazine Award for Best New Travel Writer for her piece A Farewell to an Adopted Nation, the 2009 RG Frean Prize for Creative Writing, and the 2009 R G Frean Prize for Critical or Expository Writing.