Kevin Mark Ireland (né Jowsey; 18 July 1933 – 19 May 2023) was a New Zealand poet, short story writer, novelist and librettist.
[Profile](_blank)
''International Who's Who in Poetry and Poets' Encyclopaedia''; accessed 23 September 2015.
Early life and career
Ireland was born Kevin Mark Jowsey in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
on 18 July 1933. As an infant he travelled to London with his parents where they lived for a time before returning to New Zealand. Shortly thereafter, his parents' marriage failed and he grew up on his maternal grandfather's Waikato farm, and then in
Takapuna
Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, New Zealand, Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volca ...
where he lived with his father. After leaving school, he studied at
Auckland Teachers' College but did not complete a qualification.
After changing his surname by
deed poll
A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract, because it binds only one party.
Etymology
Th ...
to Ireland in 1957, he headed to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 1959 where he remained for twenty-five years (with the interlude of a short interval in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, translating
Bulgarian poetry into English); for two decades, Ireland was employed by ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
''.
In 1986, Ireland was writer-in-residence at the
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...
; in 1987, he was awarded the
Sargeson Fellowship; in 1989, he was the
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
's writing fellow, assistant editor of ''Quote Unquote'', and president of
PEN
PEN may refer to:
* (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI)
* PEN International, a worldwide association of writers
** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International
** PEN America, located ...
, 1990–91.
Personal life and death
Ireland's first wife was Bulgarian film critic Donna Marinova whom he met and wed in Sofia in 195
After he spent 20 months in Bulgaria, the Communist authorities allowed Donna to leave the country and the young family moved to London. Ten years later they divorced.
Ireland's second wife was Phoebe Caroline Dalwood (1940–2007); Ireland had two sons and lived in
Devonport, New Zealand
Devonport ( ) is a harbourside suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore, at the southern end of the Devonport Peninsula that runs southeast from near Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, forming the north ...
.
He re-married in 2012 to Professor
Janet Mary Wilson.
Ireland died after a battle with cancer in Auckland, on 19 May 2023, at the age of 89.
Honours and awards
* 1979 –
New Zealand Book Award for Poetry
The Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry is an award at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, presented annually to the winner of the poetry category. The winner receives a 10,000 prize.
History
The New Zealand Book Awards were set up by the New Z ...
for ''Literary Cartoons''
* 1990 –
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to 3,632 people.
Background
The New Zealand 1990 Com ...
* 1992 – Appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, for services to literature, in the
1992 Queen's Birthday Honours
* 2000 – Conferred with an honorary
Doctor of Literature
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...
degree by Massey University
* 2004 –
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement is a List of New Zealand literary awards, New Zealand literary award established in 2003 by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand), the national arts development agenc ...
Works
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Short stories
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Novels
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Editor
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Memoirs
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* Translated into Bulgarian and published in 2024 by Europe and the World Foundation in Sofia, Bulgaria https://evropaworld.eu/memoarite-na-kevin-ajarland-veche-sa-dostapni-za-balgarskite-chitateli/
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References
External links
"Kevin Ireland", ''New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre''Interview with Kevin Ireland
fo
Cultural Icons
project. Audio.
Profile
natlib.govt.nz; accessed 23 September 2015.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland, Kevin
1933 births
2023 deaths
Deaths from cancer in New Zealand
New Zealand poets
New Zealand male poets
Writers from Auckland
New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire