Laura Solomon
winner of the inaugural Proverse Prize (2009).
Gillian and Verner Bickley, Laura’s publishers, are deeply sorry to learn of Laura’s death from brain cancer on 18 February 2019 at the age of forty-four: a bright, perceptive, witty writer, with a keen ear for dialogue and a wry and objective vision of modern life. She had an ability to see the world from the perspectives of often marginalised others and to comprehend their circumstances. Comedy and tragedy both flowed to her pen from the abundance of her imagination.
If you have read her work, it would be good to post a tribute on any space to which you have access. If you have not, but set out to do so, you have a surprising and entertaining journey in store.
Published by Proverse Hong Kong: Instant Messages, Hilary and David, An Imitation of Life, The Shingle Bar Sea-Monster and other Stories, In Vitro, Vera Magpie, Frida Kahlo’s Cry, University Days, Brain Swap.
LAURA SOLOMON is a Winner of The International Proverse Prize (2009). Her novella, "Instant Messages" was launched by Proverse Hong Kong on 23 November 2010. Laura Solomon was born in New Zealand and spent nine years in London before returning to New Zealand in 2007. She has published two novels in New Zealand Black Light (1996) and Nothing Lasting (1997). Her short story collection Alternative Medicine was published in the UK in 2008 and her novel An Imitation of Life was published in the UK in 2009. Her plays have been produced at the Wellington Festival Fringe, New Zealand and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, UK. She has twice won a prize in the Bridport, UK International Short Story Competition. Her new novel. Hilary and David, was published by Proverse in November 2011.
REVIEWS
HILARY AND DAVID (2011)
Author Laura Solomon has proved herself over the years to be an author of original and imaginative fiction. This, her latest novel, is no exception.
Told mostly in episodic form, the novel concerns the email correspondence between an elderly novelist based in London and a young mum in New Zealand. Although they are worlds apart in both a physical sense and life experience, Hilary and David are both lonely individuals.
Hilary, as a solo mum, is struggling to raise two boys -- Harry who has Down's Syndrome and Wyatt with ADHD. Wyatt, especially, is so badly behaved it's a wonder Hilary doesn't push him off a cliff. Highlights include shooting a staple gun in class, slashing a sofa, and kicking in a door. No wonder Hilary is close to a nervous breakdown.
"She feels fragile, skinless, a vulnerable leaf caught up in the swirl of a storm."
Yet Hilary has David's ear to confide in, which makes all the difference. It is through his support that she gets through the hard times, and works hard on a university degree.
David himself overcomes his agoraphobia, finishes his novel, makes new friends, and reunites with a long-lost son. This special correspondence helps both of them to extend and improve their own lives.
This is an absorbing novel, as intimate as a personal conversation, in which two individuals share their ups and downs.
-- Tina Shaw, Author of The Black Madonna
INSTANT MESSAGES
"Hilarious!" "Excellent!" "Its light and ironic touch makes Instant Messages a page-turner and gives it substance." – International Proverse Prize Judges.
Review by Mary Parsons, March 2011.
Review in Cairns Media Magazine, 2 February 2011:
http://www.cairnsmedia.com/Archives - bookreview_Instant-Messages_02022011.html
