jQuery(document).on('gform_post_render', function(){ /* apply only to a textarea with a class of gf_readonly */ jQuery(".gf_readonly input").attr("readonly","readonly"); }); lang="en-NZ"> COMP CLOSED | Book Giveaway | Obligate Carnivore - GrownUps New Zealand
GrownUps New Zealand

COMP CLOSED | Book Giveaway | Obligate Carnivore

We’re excited to be giving away two copies of Obligate Carnivore and other stories by Stephanie Johnson to our GrownUps members!

To be in the draw, simply make sure you’re a GrownUps member, signed up to our newsletter, and fill in your details at the bottom of the page.

About Obligate Carnivore and other stories

Politics, religion, conversation, love, sex, ageing and addiction are all explored in Stephanie Johnson’s brilliant collection of short stories.

Stephanie Johnson is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished novelists and short story writers. In this sparkling, characteristically bold collection of stories written over some twenty years, she explores the various, frequently vexed preoccupations of our times – politics, religion, conservation and climate change, love, sex, ageing, addiction, greed, travel – as well as the strange, even comical human impulses that drive individual, family and broader social behaviour.

Varied in tone and style, and ranging in scope from New Zealand to Australia and beyond, they showcase Johnson’s skills and typically subversive vision, challenging social norms and skewering pomposity and privilege wherever they may be found. These twenty-seven stories cement her reputation as a writer with a unique ability to blend humour and high seriousness, horror and hilarity, irony and compassion. All display her unerring talent for bravura storytelling.

These stories – some very funny, some very serious – describe the various preoccupations of our time, many of them eternal: politics, religion, conservation, love, sex, ageing, addiction,

The title story, ‘Obligate Carnivore’, is a subversive tale that celebrates the triumph of nature over the dictates of humanity.

Praise

‘This new collection of short stories is a tasting flight by turns darkly comedic, poignant, dreamlike, observant and fizzing with invention. A fine vintage by a master storyteller, Stephanie Johnson proves once again her unrivalled capacity to surprise, disturb and delight.’ – Fiona Farrell

‘Stephanie Johnson, MNZM, is a literary rock star.’ – Academy of New Zealand Literature

About the Author

Award-winning novelist, short story writer and poet Stephanie Johnson’s career spans three decades. Her diverse work is marked by its mixture of irony, intelligence and compassion. In the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Stephanie was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature. She is the recipient of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction (2022) and was recently made a Fellow of the Academy of New Zealand Literature.

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Terms and conditions

    1. You must be a GrownUps member and subscribed to our newsletter to be eligible to enter.

    2. The competition closes on 28th January 2026. Winners will be notified via email by 29th January 2026.

    3. It is your responsibility to provide a correct New Zealand postal address for prize delivery. GrownUps is not responsible for prizes sent to incorrect addresses.

    4. Winners will be drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.

    5. GrownUps employees and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.

    6. By entering, you agree to GrownUps using your name on social media as a winner of the competition.

    7. One entry per household.

    8. The prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or other items.

    9. You must reside in New Zealand, as the prize can only be delivered within New Zealand.

    10. You must be over 50 years of age to enter. Please ensure your membership details are up to date in your dashboard.