MYTHOLOGY & MYSTICAL REALISM
Rachael King + Lee Murray
Rachael King and Lee Murray both evoke ancient mythological creatures from distant shores in their latest novels: the vengeful kelpie and the nine-tailed fox spirit, húli jīng. In this session they will explore how myth not only maketh mystical realism but also elucidates key contemporary challenges. Chaired by Claire Mabey.
Scottish folklore inspired Rachael King to write about a vengeful black horse-like creature called a kelpie, while Murray has made the ancient Chinese fox spirit húli jīng her narrator.
The Grimmelings is a spellbinding fantasy adventure of loyalty, courage, and being careful what you wish for . . . King says it became a ‘middle grade’ novel by accident but, in the vein of Susan Cooper, it appeals to readers of all ages – and we can vouch for that!
Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud lifts the lid on hidden stories of the women of the Chinese diaspora in Aotearoa. The characters in the book came to Aotearoa for a new life and suffered isolation and prejudice in silence. Lee has taken the nine-tailed fox spirit húli jīng as her narrator to inhabit the skulls of these women and others like them and tell their stories. The result is an audacious blend of biography, mythology, horror, and poetry that transcends genre to illuminate lives in the shadowlands of our history.
All books will be on sale through our festival bookstore PaperPlus Nelson, both through their shop and at their stall at our Pukapuka Talks events. Most authors will be available for book signings after their sessions. You can also buy pukapuka online – please select the Nelson store to collect in person.
Lee Murray (she/her)
Lee Murray is a multi-award-winning author-editor, essayist, poet, and screenwriter, and a third generation Chinese New Zealander. She was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement for Fiction 2023 and been made an NZ Society of Authors (NZSA) Honorary Literary Fellow. The manuscript of Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud won Lee the Grimshaw–Sargeson Fellowship at the development stage and the NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize when it was complete. Lee has also won five Bram Stoker Awards, awarded by the international Horror Writers Association, and is a twelve-time winner of the Sir Julius Vogel Award.
Rachael King (she/her)
Rachael King is a writer, reviewer, former literary festival director and ex-bass player living in Ōtautahi Christchurch. She’s the author of two novels for children: Red Rocks, which won the Esther Glen Medal, and The Grimmelings, published in 2024. Her adult novels, The Sound of Butterflies and Magpie Hall, were published in nine languages altogether. Red Rocks is currently in production for Sky TV by Libertine Pictures.
Claire Mabey (she/her)
Claire Mabey is the founder of Verb Wellington, LitCrawl Wellington and Lōemis. She is also a books editor, book critic and co-curator of the writers’ programme at Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts. She lives in Wellington with her partner and their five-year-old.
Pukapuka Talks are presented by:
Thank you to:
