Biography last brave act by literary scholar

Terry Sturm, who has died after a long illness, was made a CBE for his services to literature. Photo / Richard Robinson

Professor Terry Sturm, literary scholar at the University of Auckland and leading critic of Australasian literature, has died after a long illness.

For 25 years he was a member of the university's faculty of arts, where he played a leading role in placing New Zealand literature at the centre of the academic curriculum.

He had recently finished a first draft of his definitive biography of the late poet Allen Curnow, which he was determined to complete despite his ill-health.

He was set back when a laptop and memory stick containing a large portion of the work were stolen in August.

Curnow's widow, Jenifer, said it was "absolutely marvellous" that Professor Sturm had managed to write the draft. "It was a brave and wonderful act."

The biography, if published, will be the first full-length study of Curnow's work.

Professor Sturm took his chair at the University of Auckland via postgraduate work at Cambridge University and at the University of Leeds, and a lecturing position in English literature at the University of Sydney from 1967-80. He edited several literary reference works including The Oxford History of New Zealand Literature in English.

In 1990, he was made a CBE in recognition of his services to literature.

The dean of Auckland's arts faculty, John Morrow, said: "As an academic, Terry was top of his field; he was also deeply valued as a colleague and friend. Our sympathies go out to his wife, Linda, and to his sons Jonathan, Mark and Tim and their families."

A funeral for Professor Sturm will be held in the university's Maclaurin Chapel, 18 Princes St, on Friday at 11.30am.