Ruth Dallas
Encyclopedia
Ruth Dallas is the pseudonym of New Zealand
poet and children's author Ruth Minnie Mumford.
Ruth was born in Invercargill
, the daughter of Frank and Minnie Mumford. She became blind in one eye at the age of 15, then spent three years at the Southland Technical College and was engaged at the age of 19. However, her fiance broke off the engagement to serve in Great Britain
during World War II
. During the war she was employed at an army office and as a milk tester. Following the war, her works of poetry, Mountain Mornings was published in The Southland Times
. She adopted the name of her maternal grandmother, Dallas, as a pen name. Her first book of poetry, Country Road was published in 1953. In 1954 she moved to Dunedin
, where she would live for most of her life.
Her poetry is influenced by William Wordsworth
and the southern New Zealand landscape. She was awarded the 1968 Robert Burns Fellowship by the University of Otago
, which she used to launch a series of children's books that began with
The Children in the Bush. In 1977, she was a joint winner of the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry. Later, as her eyesight started to deteriorate, she received A Blind Achievers' Award. In 1989, she was awarded a CBE
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
poet and children's author Ruth Minnie Mumford.
Ruth was born in Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, the daughter of Frank and Minnie Mumford. She became blind in one eye at the age of 15, then spent three years at the Southland Technical College and was engaged at the age of 19. However, her fiance broke off the engagement to serve in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the war she was employed at an army office and as a milk tester. Following the war, her works of poetry, Mountain Mornings was published in The Southland Times
The Southland Times
The Southland Times is the regional daily paper for Southland, including Invercargill, and neighbouring parts of Otago, in New Zealand.-History:...
. She adopted the name of her maternal grandmother, Dallas, as a pen name. Her first book of poetry, Country Road was published in 1953. In 1954 she moved to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, where she would live for most of her life.
Her poetry is influenced by William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
and the southern New Zealand landscape. She was awarded the 1968 Robert Burns Fellowship by the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
, which she used to launch a series of children's books that began with
The Children in the Bush. In 1977, she was a joint winner of the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry. Later, as her eyesight started to deteriorate, she received A Blind Achievers' Award. In 1989, she was awarded a CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
.