Nicky Pellegrino

UK-born New Zealand novelist

Nicky Pellegrino
Born	1964 (age 59–60) Liverpool, England
Occupation	Editor, writer, novelist
Education	University of Lancaster
Genre	Romance, food

Nicky Pellegrino (born 1964) is a novelist.^[1] She is an English-born New Zealander of Italian descent and lives and writes in Auckland, New Zealand.^[2] Her novels have been translated into 12 languages.^[3]

Early life

Pellegrino was born in Liverpool in the north-west of England to an Italian father and English mother.^[3] The family spent summer holidays with her father's siblings in southern Italy, experiences which later became the inspiration for some of her books.^[2] She studied English at the University of Lancaster, completing a BA (Honours) degree^[1]

Career

After graduating, Pellegrino moved to London and worked on women’s and entertainment magazines. In 1994 she moved to Auckland and became deputy editor, and then editor of New Zealand Woman’s Weekly.^[1] She has also worked as the editor of a bridal magazine, and was the books editor for the Herald on Sunday newspaper for seven years.^[4] Pellegrino writes articles for the New Zealand Listener, Next Magazine, NZ Gardener and Food Magazine, and has a regular book column in the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly.^[1]

She began writing her first novel in 2001, when her friend Angela D'Audney was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 56.^[5] Pellegrino was moved to begin on a long-held dream of writing a novel, and wrote Delicious while co-writing D'Audney's autobiography.^[6]

Publications

Angela: A Wonderful Life! (2001), co-author with Angela D'Audney, Penguin^[7]
Delicious (2005), Orion Books^[1]
Summer at the Villa Rosa (2007), Orion Books^[1]
The Italian Wedding (2009), Orion Books^[6]
Recipe for Life (2010), Orion Books^[1]
The Food of Love Cookery School (2013), Orion Books^[1]
One Summer in Venice (2015), Orion Books
The Villa Girls (2011), Orion Books^[3]
When in Rome (2012), Orion Books^[3]
Under Italian Skies (2016), Orion Books^[8]
A Dream Of Italy (2019), Orion Books
Tiny Pieces of Us (2020), Hachette New Zealand^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "|New Zealand Book Council". www.bookcouncil.org.nz. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Twelve Questions: Nicky Pellegrino". NZ Herald. 31 March 2014. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Pellegrino, Nicky (20 July 2012). "Meet the Author: Nicky Pellegrino". ITALY Magazine. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ "Nicky Pellegrino: there's no way I could live off writing novels". Stuff. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ Pellegrino, Nicky (19 April 2016). "Under Italian Skies". www.noted.co.nz. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Family love story sparks novel". Stuff. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ "Angela D'Audney and her 'wonderful life'". NZ Herald. 29 November 2001. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ "Review: Under Italian Skies by Nicky Pellegrino". Stuff. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
^ Allan, Rosetta. "The Friday Review". Academy of New Zealand Literature. Retrieved 5 February 2023.