Allen Curnow
Poet
Twentieth-century poet, journalist, and satirist who is best remembered for his Book of New Zealand Verse. His other works include Whim-Wham, A Small Room With Large Windows, and The Loop in Lone Kauri Road.
The son of an Anglican clergyman, he followed in his father's footsteps by studying at St. John's Theological College; however, he soon gave up the idea of a career in the ministry.
His first collection of poetry, Valley of Decision, explored his religious and vocational crises.
He married and started his family during the World War II years.
He was a literary contemporary of Patrick White. White was an Australian recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature.