The Life and Times of a Good Keen Man: An Autobiography

by Barry Crump

This autobiography is the quintessence of male New Zealand outdoor life with an excursion into Australia, hunting and shooting.

Genres: Nonfiction

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

New Zealand author of semi-autobiographical comic novels based on his image as a rugged outdoors man.

Crump worked for many years as a government deer-culler in areas of New Zealand native forest (termed "the bush"). He wrote his first novel, A Good Keen Man, in 1960, based on his experiences as a government hunter. It was a fictional account of a young hunter who has to suffer through a series of hunting partners who are often unsuitable for the job. This novel became one of the most popular in New Zealand history,

Crump died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm. At the time of his death he was living at Ohauiti with his fifth wife, Maggie.

abridged from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Guy Le Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a good book, full of intriguing tales. fantastic poem which describes the maori wars/all war inside. Would recommend, however there is much more to him than these stories. My jury is still out about the good part, certainly keen.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good keen yarn, very engaging. Probably glosses over a few hard truths. Pity he was such a ratbag to women.

[Sarah Lodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good yarn about things he got up to in his life, but no real insight of the person behind the persona.

[Al Redman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more can I say other than Bazza is a hardcase bloke with many, many intriguing tales. A real embodiment of the Kiwi bloke and a man who lived life purely according to his own morals and pursued his passions. It's not everyday you come across a bloke who's wrestled Crocs in the Northern territories and lived in on a lake Kashmir with as a member of a Muslim family. Crumpy is the man, good luck convincing me otherwise!

[Malcolm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much of Barry Crump's writing appears to have a foot firmly in his own experiences and this book seems to confirm that. It is perhaps more rewarding for its insights into his writing, especially the discovery that he writes each book rather quickly to earn money so he can continue with his life away from books. This book has no obvious theme and no structure other than a chronological account of his life. Given what we have learnt from his brother Colin's memoir, it is puzzling how he describes his childhood and his father in such positive terms. Other incidents in his life are also glossed over or ignored. Crump wanted to present himself as a good bloke so while this tells us something about the man, the truth will only emerge when it is read alongside his biography and Colin Crump's memoir.

[Daren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is no mystery where Barry Crump gets his inspiration for his novels. Having read his autobiography, it is immediately obvious that they are mostly semi-autobiographical. He led an exciting life, as the blurb for this book states, he has tried his hand at most things.
He really is a New Zealand Legend, and you could do worse than spend a few hours reading this book. Billed as 'the first of a trilogy' was a bit ambitious, and didn't pan out for Crumpy, but it takes us from 1935 until 1992. He passed away in 1996.

[Laura Scaife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insights on a life completely different to my own, but similar to my Dad's and many kiwi 'blokes'. I like the casual way it was penned.