ABOUT
THE BOOK

Award-winning author C.K. Stead takes us to the heart of contemporary Paris and into a world of books and witty conversation.

The Necessary Angel is a story of people grappling with love and fidelity; a story about the importance of books; a commentary on living in complex modern-day Europe; and a page-turning mystery. With a surprising twist at the end, this is a sophisticated novel that shows Stead writing at the height of his powers.

About the author

C.K. Stead is a distinguished, award-winning novelist, literary critic, poet, essayist and emeritus professor of English at the University of Auckland. He was the New Zealand Poet Laureate from 2015-2017, has won the Prime Minister’s Award for Fiction, and is a Member of the Order of New Zealand, the highest honour possible in New Zealand.

(from publisher)

Librarians’ comments

A beautifully written, carefully observed novel which we particularly enjoyed for its themes of literature and its uses. Confirming the importance of reading and writing in a world struggling with economic woes, terrorism and the migrant crisis.

A superbly written novel set in the literary world of Paris by one of New Zealand’s finest living writers.