one of the major modern poets of New Zealand.

The son of an Anglican clergyman, Curnow studied theology at the University of New Zealand (B.A., 1933). In 1933 his first book of poems, Valley of Decision, was published. During the 1930s and '40s, Curnow worked as a journalist in Christchurch, New Zealand, and briefly in London. He taught English at the University of Auckland from 1951 to 1976.

Some of Curnow's early poems were inspired by a personal religious crisis that took place during his studies for the ministry. Other early poems tend toward political or social satire. As his work matured, Curnow's verse centred more on New Zealand, especially on its history; he sought the broader significance and universal metaphor in both personal and historical events. His later collections include A Small Room with Large Windows (1962), Trees, Effigies, Moving Objects (1972), You Will Know When You Get There: Poems 1979–81 (1982), Selected Poems, 1940–1989 (1990), and The Bells of St. Babel's (2001). He also wrote several plays and edited two books of poetry by New Zealand authors: A Book of New Zealand Verse 1923–45 (1945; rev. ed., 1951) and The Penguin Book of New Zealand Verse (1960). In 1986 he was made CBE (Commander of the British Empire).