“For You to See Our World the Right Way Round”

Allen Curnow, one of New Zealand’s great 20th-century writers and poets, has died in Auckland. Daily Telegraph: “regarded by many as New Zealand’s greatest poet” Curnow helped define a separate NZ identity in verse, “deeply committed to the landscapes and cultures of his home.” Sydney Morning Herald: “He made us see as if for the first time”. You Will Know When You Get There: A door slams, a heavy wave, a door, the sea-floor shudders. Down you go alone, so late, into the surge-black fissure.

Allen Curnow: June 17 1911 – September 23 2001