Poets

Thomas Allen Munro Curnow ONZ CBE (17 June 1911 – 23 September 2001) was a New Zealand poet and journalist. Curnow was born in Timaru, New Zealand and educated at Christchurch Boys' High School, Canterbury University, and Auckland University. He then taught English at Auckland University from 1950 to 1976.

Curnow was the son of a fourth generation New Zealander, an Anglican clergyman, and he grew up in a religious family. The family was of Cornish origin. During his early childhood they often moved, living in Canterbury, Belfast, Malvern, Lyttelton and New Brighton. He was later educated at Christchurch BHS as well as at the universities of Canterbury and Auckland. After completing his education he worked from 1929 to 1930 at the Christchurch Sun, before moving once again to Auckland to prepare for the Anglican ministry at St John's Theological College (1931–1933). In this period Curnow also published his first poems in University periodicals, such as Kiwi and Phoenix.

From 1934 he returned to the South Island, where he started a correspondence with Iris Wilkinson and Alan Mulgan, as well as finding a job at The Press the Christchurch morning daily newspaper, having decided against a career in the Anglican ministry. At the same time, he also started a lifelong friendship with Denis Glover and contributed to the Caxton Press, submitting some of his poems.

Curnow's first marriage, to Betty LeCrean, was dissolved in 1965; they had a daughter and two sons, one of whom ..