Bill Manhire Biography
Manhire was born in Invercargill in 1946, and he spent his childhood living in modest hotels throughout Otago and Southland. His little memoir, titled Under the Influence, eloquently evokes this period of his life. In 1972, he had his first book of poems published, and it was titled The Elaboration. Inside, artist and fellow Icon Ralph Hotere contributed pictures, one of which was a portrait of the poet. He is the author of numerous collections of poetry and has been awarded the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry a total of five times. In addition to that, he is the author of a book of short stories that was awarded a prize. He was appointed as the first Poet Laureate of New Zealand, and in 2004, he was awarded the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship in Menton, France.
Not only has Manhire been a significant figure in the promotion of New Zealand poetry and literature through his internationally acclaimed creative writing course at Victoria University of Wellington, but he has also been a significant figure in the promotion of New Zealand poetry and literature through his work as a critic, anthologist, and broadcaster, as well as through his appearances at writing festivals all over the world. Manhire’s creative writing course at Victoria University of Wellington has received international acclaim.
Comments
Post a Comment