What do you think?
Rate this book
Backroads: Charting a Poet's Life
Sam Hunt's life as a poet and performer has always strayed far off the straight and narrow, more akin to following a series of winding backroads that have led to places and people away from the mainstream. Backroads offers a fascinating insight into his remarkable life.
137 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Sam Hunt
41 books10 followersSam Hunt is a New Zealand poet, especially known for his public performances of poetry, not only his own poems, but also the poems of many other poets.
Hunt was educated at St Peter's College, Auckland which he attended from 1958-63.
Hunt was among the younger New Zealand poets who began to be published in the late 1960s. He was first published in Landfall in 1967.
Hunt's distinctive appearance – tall and thin, usually wearing long, tight, trousers ("Foxton straights" he has called them) with vests and open-chested shirts, with long hair curling wildly above a well-worn face – is complemented by the familiar gravelly drawl, the rhythmic, sometimes staccato and sometimes incantatory quality of his recitation (often tapping his fingers or flicking a hand to emphasise the poetic beat) and the execution of occasional small dance-like steps of concentration. These have all made him one of New Zealand's most recognisable figures. Once, almost as well-known was his long-time travelling companion, the dog Minstrel.
Hunt was awarded a Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago in 1975, and spent 1976 in Dunedin. He was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for community service in the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours and in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to poetry.] In 2012 he received a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement.
From Wikipedia (abridged)
Hunt was educated at St Peter's College, Auckland which he attended from 1958-63.
Hunt was among the younger New Zealand poets who began to be published in the late 1960s. He was first published in Landfall in 1967.
Hunt's distinctive appearance – tall and thin, usually wearing long, tight, trousers ("Foxton straights" he has called them) with vests and open-chested shirts, with long hair curling wildly above a well-worn face – is complemented by the familiar gravelly drawl, the rhythmic, sometimes staccato and sometimes incantatory quality of his recitation (often tapping his fingers or flicking a hand to emphasise the poetic beat) and the execution of occasional small dance-like steps of concentration. These have all made him one of New Zealand's most recognisable figures. Once, almost as well-known was his long-time travelling companion, the dog Minstrel.
Hunt was awarded a Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago in 1975, and spent 1976 in Dunedin. He was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for community service in the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours and in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to poetry.] In 2012 he received a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement.
From Wikipedia (abridged)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 14, 2011
A very interesting book about NZ poet and bard Sam Hunt. Sam is a legend in NZ as a troubador and pub poet. Highly recommended.
October 9, 2017
What a treat! Sam Hunt, poetry - his and others’, and stories. It’s just one long yarn and I loved it. The book is based on transcripts of conversations had with Hunt. It includes photos and other material to add to the tales. I have loved Sam and his poetry since I first saw him perform when I was just 13. This didn’t disappoint - an excellent way to spend an afternoon.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews