Anthony McCarten

Anthony McCarten is a New Zealand novelist, playwright and filmmaker

Biography

Born in 1961 in New Plymouth, Anthony McCarten's first novel, "Spinners" (Picador, 2000), has been translated into six languages, and was voted one of the top ten novels of that year by Esquire magazine. His third novel, "Death Of A Superhero", won the 2008 Austrian Youth Literature Prize and is a finalist for the 2008 German Youth Literature Prize.

In 2005, McCarten adapted his second novel, "The English Harem" (Picador and Alma Books), for the screen. It was broadcast on ITV in December 2005 starring Martine McCutcheon and Art Malik. Novelist and three times Booker finalist, Timothy Mo, named "The English Harem" his Novel Of The Year.

"Death Of A Superhero", was published in the UK in 2006 by Alma Books and in Germany (2007) to critical acclaim by Diogenes Verlag (under the title "'Superhero"). It has since been translated into seven languages. "Not since Gunter Grass's "The Tin Drum" has the pains of growing up been rendered this powerfully." Blick, Zurich. "This novel makes one sick with yearning for more such texts, which are sensitive without being kitschy, which don't mistake coolness for cynicism, which don't pretend that movies, comics, video games, internet just don't exist...A fantastic novel and a small revoltion for the literary form. It is impossible to present our modern world of perceptions more adequately and vividly." Der Spiegel (Online). A major cinema adaption of this novel, with McCarten to write and direct, is to begin production in early 2009.

His fourth novel, "Show Of Hands", is to be published in Europe in 2008, and in the United States by Simon and Schuster in 2009. McCarten has already directed the big screen adaptation and the movie had its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival, 2008. It stars Melanie Lynskey ("Heavenly Creatures", "Two and a Half Men") and Craig Hall (King Kong.)

McCarten received early international success with his play "Ladies Night". Translated into twelve languages it remains New Zealand’s most commercially successful play of all time, and in addition to eight sell-out national tours of Britain it continues to play worldwide. In 2001 it won France’s premiere theatre award for comedy, the Moliere Prize. The perceived similarity of "The Full Monty" to McCarten's play saw him launch a $230 million lawsuit in 2001.

McCarten is also a film director whose first feature film, "Via Satellite", which he adapted from his own stage play, was invited to several film festivals including London, Cannes, Toronto, Melbourne, Hawaii and Seattle. His screenplay, "The Theory Of Everything", based on the life of Prof. Stephen Hawking and his first wife, Jane Hawking, is under development in Hollywood. He is currently co-writing another screenplay, "Miss Emerald Isle" for the UK Film Council which will go into production in 2008.

Principal Works

Plays

*"Invitation to a Second Class Carriage". Depot Theatre, Wellington, 1984.
*"Yellow Canary Mazurka". Circa, 1987.
*"Ladies’ Night". With Stephen Sinclair. Mercury, 1987.
*"Pigeon English". Playwrights’ Workshop, 1988; Depot, 1989.
*"Weed". Circa, 1990.
*"Via Satellite". Circa, 1991, and the winner of the NZ Listener Best Play and Wellington Theatre Critics’ Best Production awards for 1991.
*"Hang on a Minute, Mate". Downstage, 1992.
*"Ladies’ Night 2". With Stephen Sinclair. Mercury, 1992.
*"FILTH (Failed in London, Try Hong Kong)". Circa, 1995.
*"Four Cities" aka "Continental Breakfast". Los Angeles, 1996.

Films

*"Nocturne in a Room" (1992) (Short)
*"Fluff" (1995) (Short)
*"Via Satellite" (1999)
*"The English Harem" (2005)
*"Show of Hands" (2008) In post production

Novels

*"Spinners" Random House New Zealand (1999)
*"The English Harem" Picador (2002), reprinted (film-tie-in) Alma Books (2006)
*"Death of a Superhero" Alma Books (2006, 2007)
*"Show Of Hands" (forthcoming 2008) Diogenes (Germ.), Simon and Shuster (US), Random House (NZ)

References

The English Harem by Anthony McCarten, Death of a Superhero by Anthony McCarten, Alma Books Press Release, [http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/mccartenanthony.html Entry in the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, Robinson and Wattie ed., 1998]

External links

* [http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/mccartenanthony.html Entry in the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, Robinson and Wattie ed., 1998]
* [http://www.almabooks.co.uk/EnglishHarem/AboutAntMcCart/AboutAntMcCart.html Alma Author]
* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/24/features/playwright.php International Herald Tribune article]