Allan Keith Grant (11 February 1941 – 8 April 2000), generally known by his initials as A.K. Grant, was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

writer, historian, critic and humorist. Grant was born in

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

, and in 1964 he received his

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

and moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for 12 years. On his return to New Zealand in 1976, he began writing, and released ''The Paua and the Glory '', his history of New Zealand letters in 1982. At the same time he wrote a regular column for the ''

New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...

''. He also wrote for television, particularly in partnership with

David McPhail David Alexander McPhail (11 April 1945 – 14 May 2021) was a New Zealand comedic actor and writer whose television career spanned four decades. McPhail first won fame on sketch comedy show ''A Week of It'', partly thanks to his impressions of ...

and

Jon Gadsby Jonathan Ernest Gadsby (1 November 1953 – 12 December 2015) was a New Zealand television comedian and writer, most well known for his role in the comedy series ''McPhail and Gadsby'' co-starring alongside David McPhail. He died of cance ...

. Credits include ''

A Week of It ''A Week of It'' is a New Zealand television series screened from 1977 to 1979. A comedy sketch show, the series relied heavily on political satire, and as such was often written very shortly before it screened. Although it only ran for three yea ...

'', ''

McPhail and Gadsby McPhail is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Addie McPhail (1905–2003), American film actress *Alastair McPhail, British diplomat, the first British ambassador to South Sudan * Andy McPhail, Scottish rugby league footballer w ...

'' and '' Letter to Blanchy''. The ''A. K. Grant Memorial Trophy'' was established in October 2000 and is awarded to the best speaker in celebrity debates held alternately at the Christchurch and Otago Arts Festivals.

References

NZ Book Council
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Alan K 1941 births 2000 deaths New Zealand humorists University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand satirists People from Whanganui 20th-century New Zealand writers New Zealand screenwriters Male screenwriters 20th-century screenwriters