Alpers, Antony

Persona

Alpers, Antony

1919-1996

Antony Francis George Alpers (1919-), author, university professor and biographer of Katherine Mansfield, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand and attended Christ's College, Christchurch from 1932 until 1936. From 1936 until 1957 Alpers worked as reporter and writer for several publications including The Press, Christchurch (1936-1941), The New Zealand Listener (1941-1946) and The Auckland Star (1952-1957). During this period, he wrote a great deal of unsigned work, but also numerous articles and interviews related to music, over the initials "A.A." and contributed a column of music criticism, "Some Recent Music", to The New Zealand Listener. In 1956, he went to the Cook Islands and wrote a series of articles for The Auckland Star on the administration, public health, agriculture and education service in the group.

Mr. Alpers spent the years 1948 until 1951 in England where, with the aid of a grant from the New State Literary Fund, he was able to write his first biography of Katherine Mansfield. While an assistant editor with the New Zealand Department of Education (1958-1969), responsible for the monthly teachers' magazine, "Education," Mr. Alpers wrote Dolphins, the first book he published on the subject, and began work on Maori Myths and Tribal Legends, which was published in 1964.

In 1962, he was invited to the University of British Columbia under a Canada Council visiting lecturers' scheme, lecturing at various universities (Universities of Alberta and Manitoba, McMaster, Queen's and Carleton Universities) on such diverse subjects as New Zealand literature, Katherine Mansfield, biography, dolphins, and Polynesian mythology. Upon returning to New Zealand he was employed by the Caxton Press, Christchurch (1962-1968), and was the founding editor of the journal, Local Government.

In 1966, he was invited to join Queen's University, as an Assistant Professor, Department of English, where he completed his Legends of the South Sea and began work on a new biography of Katherine Mansfield. He retired as a Professor in 1982, and returned to New Zealand.

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