Julian Novitz was born in Christchurch in 1980 and educated at the University of Canterbury, where he studied history and philosophy. In 2002 he completed an MA in creative writing at the Victoria University of Wellington, but managed to lose his degree on the night of his graduation in the Blue Note Karaoke Bar on Cuba Street. If anyone has it could they please contact Random House. A five-dollar reward might not be out of the question.