Iain Sharp

Iain Sharp
Sharp in 2004
Born
Iain James Sharp

(1953-04-24)24 April 1953
Glasgow, Scotland
Died24 January 2026(2026-01-24) (aged 72)
Occupations
  • Poet
  • librarian
  • journalist
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Auckland
ThesisWit at several weapons: a critical edition (1982)

Iain James Sharp (24 April 1953 – 24 January 2026) was a New Zealand poet and critic.

Life and career

Born in Glasgow, Scotland on 24 April 1953, Sharp emigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1961, where they settled in Auckland. He studied at the University of Auckland where he received a doctorate in English in 1982. His doctoral thesis was titled Wit at several weapons: a critical edition. Soon after completing his PhD, he qualified as a librarian from the New Zealand Library School.

Sharp worked part-time in the Special Collections Department of Auckland Central City Library, and was also a reviewer, critic and columnist for the New Zealand Listener magazine.

Sharp died on 24 January 2026.

Works

References

  1. ↑ "Iain James Sharp". Shone and Shirley. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to best New Zealand poems 2001". Ōrongohau | Best New Zealand Poems. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  3. ↑ Sharp, Iain (1982). Wit at several weapons: a critical edition (Doctoral thesis). ResearchSpace@Auckland, University of Auckland. hdl:2292/2047.
  4. ↑ Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English, Oxford University Press, 1997
  5. ↑ The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, edited by Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie (1998). Sharp, Iain Archived 30 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine at New Zealand Book Council
  6. ↑ "Iain Sharp obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Iain Sharp, 1953-2026 https://poetryarchivenz.wordpress.com/2026/07/17/iain-sharp-1953-2026/