Award-winning short story writer and best-selling novelist James George has been announced as this year's Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellow.Award-winning short story writer and best-selling novelist James George has been announced as this year's Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellow.He will take up his year-long tenure at the Sargeson flat near Auckland University this month. In addition, James George will receive a $40,000 grant while he holds the fellowship, allowing him to focus full-time on his writing.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Award and the 10th year of Buddle Findlay's sponsorship.

George says that he will use the fellowship to complete the final draft and editing of his fourth novel Theme from an Imaginary Western and to undertake work on his fifth novel, Two Rivers. Both novels will be published by Huia Publishers.

James George's second novel, Hummingbird, was a best seller in New Zealand and was a finalist in the Montana Book Awards in 2004 and the Tasmania-Pacific Fiction prize in 2005.

The fellowship was established in 1987 to commemorate Frank Sargeson and provide assistance for New Zealand writers. Its aim is to offer outstanding writers the opportunity to write full time, free from financial pressure.

Buddle Findlay National Chairman, Sarah Roberts, says the award is about giving writers the freedom to use their creative energies to develop and craft stories that will be integrated into New Zealand's creative identity.

"The fellowship has a solid track record of allowing some of our most notable writers to develop their ideas into works that have enriched the intellectual capital of our country. We are delighted to have been involved in making that happen over the past 10 years."

James George is of Ngapuhi, English and Irish descent. His first published novel was Wooden Horses and his third and most recent was Ocean Roads. He has also had short stories published in New Zealand and France.

Last year's holder of the fellowship was writer Emily Perkins who used her tenure to work on her new book, Novel About My Wife, for Bloomsbury Publishing.

Past Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellows (from 1997 onwards) include Fiona Samuel, Peter Cox, Karyn Hay, Craig Marriner, Toa Fraser, Debra Daley, Denis Baker, Riemke Ensing, Vivienne Plumb, Chad Taylor, Shonagh Koea, Diane Brown, Catherine Chidgey, Sarah Quigley, Tina Shaw, Kapka Kassabova, Sue Reidy, James Brown, Charlotte Grimshaw.

Past Sargeson Trust Fellows include Janet Frame, Alan Duff, Kevin Ireland, Michael King, Marilyn Duckworth.