Adcock, (Kareen) Fleur (1934– )

New Zealand poet, based in England. She has developed a distinctive, unsentimental poetic voice with which she coolly explores contemporary life, love, and personal relationships. Her collections include The Eye of the Hurricane (1964), High Tide in the Garden (1971), The Inner Harbour (1979), and Time Zones (1991).

Born in Papakura, New Zealand, Adcock received most of her education in England before returning to university in New Zealand. Following the end of her first marriage she returned to England. She edited The Oxford Book of Contemporary New Zealand Verse (1982) and translated medieval Latin poems under the title The Virgin and the Nightingale (1983). Trained as a classicist, she worked as a librarian and lecturer in New Zealand.