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Florence Ruth Gilbert, ONZM (born 26 March 1917) is a New Zealand poet whose work has been widely published in New Zealand and Commonwealth countries.〔Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie (eds). ''Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature'', Wattie, 1998.〕〔Stevens, Joan.''Contemporary Poets of the English Language'' 1970. Chicago. London 1971 New York 3rd edition 1970 pp. 549–550〕〔Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy (eds). ''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present'' 1990. London〕 She was born in Greytown and educated at Hamilton High School and the Otago School of Physiotherapy. Her poetry appeared first in magazines and anthologies and later in ten personal collections. She was awarded the Jessie Mackay Memorial Award for verse three times. She has served as President of New Zealand PEN and the New Zealand Women Writers Society.〔"Poet Ruth Gilbert wins Jessie Mackay prize," ''New Zealand Listener'', 11 November 1949 p. 9.〕〔Wright, Niel. ''Sketch Profile of Ruth Gilbert with Full Commentary'' 2007.〕〔Heather Murray and Roger Robinson. "New Zealand Women Writers' Society", ''Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature''1998.〕〔''Evening Post'' Queen's Birthday Honours 3 June 2002 p.16 under heading "Sir Pat leads Nelson honours"〕〔''Nelson Evening Mail'', 5 June 2002〕 In 2002 she received an award of Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit for services to poetry. She lives in Wellington. == Family background and early life == Ruth Gilbert comes from the same family as the librettist W.S. Gilbert (the surname was originally French).〔Wright, Niel. ''Ruth Gilbert An Account of her Poetry 1919–85'' p.25.〕 Her father, Henry George Gilbert, was born 1881 in Cust, Canterbury into a farming family. In his youth, having left primary school and home, he worked his way around the world, visiting relatives in Hampshire, England. He enlisted in the Mounted Rifles in the Boer War at 19, giving a false age. He was educated as a late entrant at Otago University, completing the work for an MA about 1914, but was never awarded the degree as he had not matriculated. Responding to an invitation to train as a Presbyterian minister (although an Anglican by upbringing) he spent four years at Knox College. He was the top student in his years in Hebrew and Greek. He married in 1914, and in 1917 went to France as a padre with the artillery with the rank of Captain. He was the Minister of the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Hamilton 1925–1946.〔The Centennial book ''A Century of Faith'' (1976), published in April 1985, has passages on the Rev. Gilbert and his wife, pp.14, 19 Dewey 283.9359 21〕 After retiring in 1946, he lived in Hamilton, dying in 1954.〔Wright, Niel. ''Ruth Gilbert: An Account of Her Poetry''〕 He played the violin and the cello and was a violin maker (luthier).〔''New Zealand Listener'' 10 February 1967 p.26〕 Ruth's mother, Florence Margaret Carrington, was born in 1886 in Dunedin. Her father was an artist, G. W. Carrington, and her mother was Irish. A gifted musician, she became a music teacher, and was official accompanist for visiting artists in Dunedin. She played the piano, pipe organ and cello. Marrying in 1914, she had four children, of whom Ruth was the second. Ruth Gilbert was born in 1917 at Greytown in the Wairarapa during her mother's visit to the Featherston Military Camp where Captain Gilbert was training. She lived until 8 years old in Invercargill; thereafter in Hamilton city overlooking the river from 1925 till 1935. She was educated at Hamilton West Primary School and at Hamilton Girls' High School. In 1935 she trained at what is now the Dunedin School of Physiotherapy, completing her diploma in 1938. During 1938 to 1946 she was employed in the Waikato Hospital, Wellington Hospital (Otaki Branch, where she was in charge of the Physiotherapy Department), and Christchurch Hospital. Most of her experience was with young orthopaedic and geriatric patients.〔Wright, Niel. ''Ruth Gilbert: An Account of Her Poetry''〕 Ruth returned home for four years to nurse her mother, who died of cancer in 1943.〔Wright, Niel. ''Ruth Gilbert: An Account of Her Poetry''〕 For seven years, she was engaged to Rev. John Dinsmore Johnston, born 19 November 1912.〔http://www.archives.presbyterian.org.nz stated that Dinsmore "has previously been engaged to Ruth Gilbert, daughter of Rev. H. G. Gilbert."〕 Johnston was Irish and Ruth Gilbert's poem "Leprechaun" written 1939 in Irish dialect may relate to him. Johnston studied at Knox College 1937–1938 when presumably he and Ruth Gilbert met. Johnston left New Zealand to serve as a missionary in China, arrving there on 13 March 1941. He was interned during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong December 1941 – September 1945. He returned to New Zealand on 24 October 1945. Ruth Gilbert married John Bennett Mackay, a physician specialising in chest diseases.〔. Wright, Niel. ''Ruth Gilbert: An Account of Her Poetry''〕 Their marriage took place on VJ Day, the day the Pacific war ended, when "All the bells were ringing."〔Wright, Niel. ''Sketch Profile of Ruth Gilbert 2007. pp. 19, 92.〕 Their children were Michael (born 1946), Deirdre (1951), Charles (1954), and Pippa (1957). Ruth travelled for a year with her family to England and France in 1953, when John received his MRCP degree. His FRCP was conferred by the College later. She and John made four trips to Samoa on professional business. In 1975-7 she made a trip on her own to New York City to visit her son Michael who was working as a physician there.〔Wright, Niel. ''Ruth Gilbert: An Account of her Poetry'' pp. 2–3.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ruth Gilbert (poet)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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