Allen Curnow Photo: Te Ara / Public Domain
In our new biography segment we we explore the life and work of notable New Zealanders. Our first subject is the poet Allen Curnow
Curnow was born in 1911 and died in 2001. He grew up in Canterbury, his father was an Anglican minister and a minor poet. He was going to follow in his father's footsteps and train as a minister, but instead devoted his life to writing, and was one of a generation of New Zealand artists known as the Phoenix Generation known for their literary nationalism.
Associate Professor Alex Calder of Auckland University is an expert on Curnow, and joins us in studio to tell us about his influence and significance and read us some of his key works.
