Patrick Evans is the author of five novels, including the acclaimed trilogy of Gifted, The Back of His Head and Salt Picnic, and a number of plays. His other books include The Penguin History of New Zealand Literature (1990), The Long Forgetting: Postcolonial Literary Culture in New Zealand (2007), An Inward Sun: The Novels of Janet Frame (1971), and Janet Frame (1977). He taught New Zealand literature and creative writing at the University of Canterbury until 2016.