Title James Baxter letter
Reference codeMS1119
Date1960 October 25
Creator
- Baxter, James Keir (1926-1972)More Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator
James Keir Baxter was born in Dunedin, New Zealand in June 1926. He was a poet and playright. His radio play, Jack Winter's Dream (1959), made him internationally famous. Among his poetry collections was Pig Island Letters, published in 1966. In that year, he accepted the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago. Two years later, Baxter resigned to live without property in Jerusalem, a Maori settlement on the Wanganui river. He travelled to nearby cities to work with the poor: his poems of this period often railed against society for tolerating poverty. The ascetic life he led from this period resulted in his health suffering. He moved to a commune near Auckland and died there in October 1972.
Scope and ContentLetter from James Baxter to John Pocock, thanking him for the review of his two plays, The Wide Open Cage, and Jack Winter's Dream
Conditions governing accessOpen for research
Extent1 item (3 pages)
Finding aidsA hard copy of this description is available in Senate House Library
Level of descriptionfonds