Sir Vincent Gerard O’Sullivan, who died on 28 April 2024, was a major figure, with serious stature, in New Zealand’s literary establishment. He was pre-eminently a poet, but also a short story writer, novelist, playwright, librettist, essayist, biographer, editor, critic, and academic. In each of these roles he gained distinction.
His accolades included the following: in 1966, the New Zealand Society of Authors Jessie Mackay Award for Best First Book of Poetry, for Our Burning Time (1965); in 1979, the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Award for a short story; in 1981, a writer’s residency at Victoria University of Wellington, and a New Zealand Book Award for Fiction (shared with Maurice Gee), for his short story collection Dandy Edison for Lunch; in 1993, the New Zealand Book Award for
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Citation: Ross, John C.. "Vincent Gerard O'Sullivan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 July 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3386, accessed 08 July 2025.]
