Photo: Hachette
In the world of literature, one of the biggest hits of the last year came in the form of a debut novel. Kaliane Bradley's The Ministry of Time started as a fan fiction project to entertain herself and her friends during covid lockdowns and became an instant hit. It's since been long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025 and set to be adapted for the big screen.
Set in a near future, the novel imagines civil servants who are paired with figures from the past to act as their "bridge" into modern life. Part time-travel rom-com, part-spy thriller, it's a genre-bending mix of science fiction that also tackles big themes including colonisation, climate change and migration. And a TV show is already in the works with A24 and the BBC.
Kaliane is heading to Aotearoa for the first time as part of the upcoming Auckland Writers Festival.
