Warren Ambrose Dibble (21 February 1931 – 27 July 2014) was a New Zealand poet and playwright.

Warren Dibble
BornWarren Ambrose Dibble
(1931-02-21)21 February 1931
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Died27 July 2014(2014-07-27) (aged 83)
Sydney, NSW, Australia
OccupationPlaywright, poet
NationalityNew Zealander

Early life and family edit

Dibble was born in Palmerston North on 21 February 1931, the son of Victor Thomas Dibble and Alma Dibble (née Edgecombe).[1][2] His father was secretary of the Manawatu Racing Club, and committed suicide by gunshot in December 1932, having suffered from depression and what would now be understood as post-traumatic stress disorder following his service in World War I.[3][4]

Writing career edit

Dibble was awarded the Robert Burns Fellowship from the University of Otago in 1969.[5] Ralph Hotere, who was the Frances Hodgkins Fellow at Otago also in 1969,[6] incorporated some of Dibble's poems into his artwork.[7] Dibble wrote plays for television, theatre and radio, including Killing of Kane, based on the deeds of Tītokowaru in Taranaki in the 1860s,[7] the anti-Vietnam war theatrical cartoon Operation Pigstick,[8][9] the one-off tele-drama Double Exposure,[10] Lord, Dismiss Us… and Lines to M.[11]

Dibble moved to Sydney in the 1970s and died there in 2014.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "Birth". Manawatu Times. Vol. 56, no. 5583. 23 February 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Brides of summertime in bouffant gowns". The Sun. Vol. 2, no. 576. 31 January 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Late Mr V. T. Dibble". Manawatu Standard. Vol. 53, no. 20. 20 December 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Death of Mr. Victor T. Dibble". Otaki Mail. 16 December 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Warren Dibble – 1969: Nourishing the roots". University of Otago. 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  6. ^ "The Frances Hodgkins Fellowship". University of Otago. 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  7. ^ a b Hohaia, Te Miringa; O'Brien, Gregory; Strongman, Lara, eds. (2005). Parihaka: the art of passive resistance. Wellington: Victoria University Press. p. 220. ISBN 0-86473-520-0.
  8. ^ Lord, Bob (14 April 1967). "Ancient Maori myth was given dramatic Downstage showing". Salient. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Downstage celebrates life of Tim Eliott, its first artistic director". Wellington Scoop. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Irene Wood – biography". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  11. ^ Cody, Gabrielle H.; Sprinchorn, Evert, eds. (2007). The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama. Vol. 2. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 961. ISBN 978-0-231-14424-7.
  12. ^ "Warren Ambrose Dibble obituary". New Zealand Herald. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.