Outstanding literary career culminates in Royal Society award for retiring Emeritus Professor
After 40 years of literary scholarship at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Emeritus Professor Harry Ricketts is retiring.
As a fitting tribute, 40 years on from starting at the University Harry’s literary contributions will be honoured with the Pou Aronui Award for distinguished service to the humanities–aronui by the Royal Society Te Apārangi, recognising his status as one of New Zealand’s most prolific literary figures.
Although unexpected, Harry says he feels very honoured to be the recipient of this award.
“This is not an honour you personally apply for, but one for which colleagues put you forward; that makes it particularly special.”
Winning a Montana New Zealand Book Award in 2003 is another stand-out of awards received throughout his career. The award was for Spirit in a Strange Land: A Selection of New Zealand Spiritual Verse, co-edited with Paul Morris and Mike Grimshaw.
“Paul is Jewish, Mike is post-Christian and I am agnostic; the discussions about what to include were fascinating, sometimes hilarious,” Harry says.
Of the more than 30 books Harry has written and edited in his time, there are two pieces of research that he is most proud of: his biography of Rudyard Kipling, The Unforgiving Minute: A Life of Rudyard Kipling (1998), and the group biography of a dozen British World War I poets, Strange Meetings: The Poets of the Great War (2010).
“These books took around seven years each to research and write,” he says.
“The Kipling biography received a front-page review in The Times Literary Supplement—the first book by a New Zealander to have one; that was definitely a high point. My Selected Poems (drawn from 11 previous collections) was published this year by Victoria University Press; that was definitely another high point.”
Outside of the University, Harry has made a major contribution to New Zealand’s literary scene including being the co-editor of the review quarterly New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa from 1998–2019. For nine years from 1998 he was theatre critic for the New Zealand Listener. In the University community, Harry chaired the School of English, Film, Theatre and Media Studies postgraduate committee for several years.
“That was a rewarding role, particularly arguing for students at the Faculty scholarship committee stage,” he says.
Harry’s colleague Professor Jane Stafford describes Harry’s teaching as not only professional, effective and commited, but also uniquely memorable.
“He is the kind of teacher that students remember for the rest of their lives. His concern for his subject, and his concern for his students and their appreciation of his subject, have been all-encompassing,” she says.
One particular event Harry remembers that depicts his engaging teaching style is when he met a student years later who recalled a lecture on Yeats’ poetry that felt as though Harry had been delivering directly to him despite being in a room of 200.
“As it happened, I was. Because I felt that if I could hold his attention, I could hold that of the room,” Harry says.
Students in the 1980s were entertained when, after a lecture, Harry retrieved his four year-old daughter from under the lectern where she’d been sitting happily surrounded by books and snacks.
“No one spotted her until I picked her up.”
Harry has often played music as the students enter, and two of the most enjoyable poetry lectures he gave this year were on song lyrics with students also providing their favourites.
And the best request for an essay extension Harry ever received was from a student who said that they had fallen in love and couldn't concentrate on work that week.
“Of course, I granted the request.”
Jane also acknowledges Harry as an outstanding colleague.
“He has been generous with his time, thoughtful and perspicacious with his advice, always sympathetically engaged in others’ work. If he is approached with a research question, a problem of logic or argument, or a need for advice in a wider career or professional sense, he responds with care and attention, fuelled by a love of the subject,” she says.
Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Professor Sarah Leggott says: “Harry Ricketts has made an outstanding contribution to the Faculty, the broader University, and the national and international scholarly and literary community throughout his career.
“We were very fortunate that he chose to spend his 40-year academic career at our University, and I am very pleased that he retains his association with us as Emeritus Professor.”
Although he is retiring, Harry will continue to develop the skills of future writers as he stays on to teach the creative non-fiction paper at the International Institute of Modern Letters. There will also be no stopping the growing list of publications; Harry plans to put his extensive knowledge of cricket into a book about the late Martin Crowe and he’s “nearly finished” working on a memoir started last year during lockdown.