At 6pm the previous evening, former Waitaki Boys' High School (WBHS) rector Dr Paul Baker will join Marshall at the Oamaru Public Library to chair a free public lecture on historical fiction with reference to Marshall's new novel The Larnachs.
Marshall, who became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000 for services to literature, is no stranger to the region.
The former deputy and acting rector of WBHS spent much of his childhood in provincial South Island towns and his adult years largely in the regions of South Canterbury and North Otago. People and landscapes from both regions fill his narratives.
His novel Harlequin Rex won the Deutz Medal for Fiction at the 2000 Montana Book Awards, and he has been awarded many honours and fellowships.
Janet Frame Eden Street Trust chairwoman Carol Berry said securing Marshall for the spot meant a continuation of impressive guest tutors at the annual event.
"The Janet Frame Eden Street Trust is always keen to add a bit of charm to the intellectual life of our town," she said.
"Writing workshops have been taken by authors Roger Hall, Dame Fiona Kidman, Fiona Farrell ... This is the latest offering."
The event is sponsored by the Janet Frame Eden Street Trust and the Oamaru Public Library, with assistance from the Waitaki district's creative communities.
Limited spaces are available, and aspiring writers can register by phoning Carol Berry on 021-343-119.
