Peter Alan Simpson (born 1942) is an academic, writer, literary critic, and former New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.[1]
Peter Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Lyttelton | |
| In office 15 August 1987 – 27 October 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Ann Hercus |
| Succeeded by | Gail McIntosh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1942 Tākaka, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Lecturer |
Early life
editSimpson was born in Tākaka in 1942.[1] From 1955 to 1959, he was educated at Nelson College, where he was a prefect and member of the school's 1st XV rugby union team in his final year.[2] He gained a MA (Hons) from the University of Canterbury, and a PhD from the University of Toronto with a 1975 thesis titled 'Wordsworth to Hardy: lines of relationship and continuity in nineteenth century English poetry' .[1][3]
Member of Parliament
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | Lyttelton | Labour | ||
He represented the electorate of Lyttelton in Parliament from 1987 to 1990, when he was defeated by Gail McIntosh, one of a number of losses contributing to the fall of the Fourth Labour Government.
Before entering parliament he was chairman of the Lyttelton electorate committee of the Labour Party.[4]
Professional life
editSimpson had been teaching English since the 1960s at various universities. He was at Massey University, University of Toronto and Carleton University.[1] In his last teaching role, he was at the University of Auckland as associate professor in the Department of English, and head of English, roles from which he retired in 2008.[5][6]
He is the director of Holloway Press, set up at the University of Auckland in 1994 and named after Ron Holloway (1909–2003), a renowned university printer and publisher.[7][8][9]
Simpson received the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in 2017.[10]
In 2020, Simpson was conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Canterbury.[11]
Selected works
edit- Ronald Hugh Morrieson (Oxford University Press, 1982)
- Candles in a Dark Room: James K. Baxter and Colin McCahon (Auckland Art Gallery, 1996)
- Colin McCahon: The Titirangi Years, 1953–1959 (Auckland University Press, 2007)
- Fantastica: The World of Leo Bensemann (Auckland University Press, 2011)
- Bloomsbury South: The Arts in Christchurch 1933–1953 (Auckland University Press, 2016)
- Colin McCahon: There is Only One Direction, Vol. I 1919–1959 (Auckland University Press, 2019)
- Colin McCahon: Is this the Promised Land? Vol. 2 1960–1987 (Auckland University Press, 2020)
- Dear Colin, Dear Ron: The selected letters of Colin McCahon and Ron O'Reilly (Te Papa Press, 2024)
Private life
editSimpson lives in Auckland. He is married with two children.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Peter Simpson at the NZ Book Council". Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ "Full school list of Nelson College, 1856–2005". Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006 (CD-ROM) (6th ed.). 2006.
- ^ "University of Toronto Libraries".
- ^ "Lyttelton candidate sees a hard campaign ahead". The Press. 29 May 1987. p. 2.
- ^ "Peter Simpson staff page". Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Peter Simpson 1942 – (Person)". Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Peter Simpson". Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ "About the Press". Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ^ Simpson, Peter. "Ronald Holloway 1909 – 2003 – Obituary". Holloway Press. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "Prime Minister's Awards for literary achievement". Creative NZ. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Leading publisher on NZ culture to receive UC honorary doctorate". University of Canterbury. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2021.