Warren Ambrose Dibble (21 February 1931 – 27 July 2014) was a New Zealand poet and playwright.

Warren Dibble
BornWarren Ambrose Dibble
(1931-02-21)21 February 1931
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Died27 July 2014(2014-07-27) (aged 83)
Sydney, NSW, Australia
OccupationPlaywright, poet
NationalityNew Zealander

Early life and family

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Dibble was born in Palmerston North on 21 February 1931, the son of Victor Thomas Dibble and Alma Dibble (née Edgecombe).[1][2] His father was secretary of the Manawatu Racing Club, and committed suicide by gunshot in December 1932, having suffered from depression and what would now be understood as post-traumatic stress disorder following his service in World War I.[3][4]

Writing career

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Dibble was awarded the Robert Burns Fellowship from the University of Otago in 1969.[5] Ralph Hotere, who was the Frances Hodgkins Fellow at Otago also in 1969,[6] incorporated some of Dibble's poems into his artwork.[7] Dibble wrote plays for television, theatre and radio, including Killing of Kane, based on the deeds of Tītokowaru in Taranaki in the 1860s,[7] the anti-Vietnam war theatrical cartoon Operation Pigstick,[8][9] the one-off tele-drama Double Exposure,[10] Lord, Dismiss Us… and Lines to M.[11]

Dibble moved to Sydney in the 1970s and died there in 2014.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Birth". Manawatu Times. Vol. 56, no. 5583. 23 February 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Brides of summertime in bouffant gowns". The Sun. Vol. 2, no. 576. 31 January 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Late Mr V. T. Dibble". Manawatu Standard. Vol. 53, no. 20. 20 December 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Death of Mr. Victor T. Dibble". Otaki Mail. 16 December 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Warren Dibble – 1969: Nourishing the roots". University of Otago. 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  6. ^ "The Frances Hodgkins Fellowship". University of Otago. 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  7. ^ a b Hohaia, Te Miringa; O'Brien, Gregory; Strongman, Lara, eds. (2005). Parihaka: the art of passive resistance. Wellington: Victoria University Press. p. 220. ISBN 0-86473-520-0.
  8. ^ Lord, Bob (14 April 1967). "Ancient Maori myth was given dramatic Downstage showing". Salient. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Downstage celebrates life of Tim Eliott, its first artistic director". Wellington Scoop. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Irene Wood – biography". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  11. ^ Cody, Gabrielle H.; Sprinchorn, Evert, eds. (2007). The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama. Vol. 2. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 961. ISBN 978-0-231-14424-7.
  12. ^ "Warren Ambrose Dibble obituary". New Zealand Herald. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.