Barry Crump

Barry Crump MBE ( born May 15, 1935 in Papatoetoe, Auckland; † 3 July 1996) was a New Zealand writer who has become known for his semi- autobiographical novels. Statistically, one in four residents of New Zealand has bought a book from him.

Life

Crump worked for years for the government in the forests of New Zealand. He gained his experiences in 1960 in his debut novel, A Good Keen Man, who became one of the most successful in the history of the country. With the fictional episode novels Crump was able to continue his success. So he published nor Hang on a Minute Mate (1961 ), One of Us (1962), There and Back (1963 ), Gulf (1964 ), A Good Keen Girl ( 1970), Bastards I Have Met ( 1971) and many more.

He traveled throughout Australia, Europe, Turkey and India, where he met representatives of the Bahai in 1982 and took their faith. He married five times, including the poet Fleur Adcock. With women he had nine sons. He was also known because of his appearance in commercials for Toyota in the New Zealand television. For his achievements in literature, he was awarded the rank of the MBE in 1994.