True Stories of Survival: Steve Braunias

The Survivors is Steve Braunias’s third and final book based on his court reporting. It retells twelve mysteries of human nature – unusual stories of how people choose to survive their own lives. Subjects include troubled French backpacker Eloi Rolland, Chinese migrant Chen Chao who becomes a murderer after a late-night misunderstanding, and acclaimed German author Volker Pilgrim, who wanders Auckland’s streets in rags. Speaking with journalist Mike White, Braunias will discuss the book's tales of gruesome murders, chance meetings, and self-imposed exile.

Steve Braunias is the author of 10 books, including Civilisation (winner of the 2013 NZ Post award for best book of non-fiction) and The Scene of the Crime, published by HarperCollins in 2015. He writes for the New Zealand Herald, is the literary editor at Newsroom, and serves as life president of the Hamilton Press Club. He has won more than 40 national awards for writing, including the 2009 Buddle Findlay Sargeson Literary fellowship, the 2010 CLL Non-Fiction Award and the 2006 Qantas Fellowship. As a book reviewer and humourist with an ability to write across many genres, he has won awards for travel, sports, crime, and food writing. He has also been awarded writing fellowships to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Mike White is an award winning journalist and senior writer for Stuff, and the author of books Who Killed Scott Guy? and How to Walk a Dog. He has recently moved to Central Otago from Wellington.