(DOWNLOAD) "Bliss was It in That Dawn ...': from Phoenix to New Poems 1932-34 (CURNOW, CAXTON AND THE CANON (Part II))" by JNZL: Journal of New Zealand Literature " eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free

July 23, 2021

eBook details

Title: Bliss was It in That Dawn ...': from Phoenix to New Poems 1932-34 (CURNOW, CAXTON AND THE CANON (Part II))
Author : JNZL: Journal of New Zealand Literature
Release Date : January 01, 1999
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
Pages : * pages
Size : 234 KB

Description

Talking to Michael Beveridge in 1970 about his writing life in the mid-1930s, Frank Sargeson said 'It was almost like Wordsworth you know, "Bliss was it in that dawn .../but to be young was very heaven!"' (1) Sargeson was discussing writing for Tomorrow from 1935 onwards, but the 'dawn' for the first-generation Provincial writers as a group is conventionally held to be with Phoenix--in 1932, before Sargeson came on the literary scene. Charles Brasch spoke for the usual understanding of literary history when he wrote 'what the Phoenix said was, in effect: "Here we are: New Zealand literature begins here"'. (2) However, the matter was more complex than that. Phoenix was only one of a group of new literary expressions, and the 'moment' was more significant than any of its individual manifestations. A variety of factors came together to make a literary revolution: the forerunners, the overseas models, the Depression, the accelerating international crisis, and, an important catalyst for New Zealand writing, three printers and/or publishers: in Auckland with Robert Lowry (Phoenix, Kiwi, the Unicorn Press) and Ron Holloway at the Griffin Press; in Christchurch (Oriflamme, Sirocco, the Caxton Club and the Caxton Press and, later, Kennaway Henderson (Tomorrow). The pivotal figure is Glover, friend to Lowry, colleague to Henderson, the most successful of the publishers, and himself an important poet and literary controversialist. All writers related to one or more of these publishers; a few related only or primarily to one: Roderick Finlayson to the Griffin Press, although he had a few works in Tomorrow; Winston Rhodes to Tomorrow, although he was involved in a few texts for the Caxton Press. Most related to two or to all three. D'Arcy Cresswell was in the first Phoenix, in Oriflamme, and frequently in Tomorrow, had a book published by Lowry and several by Caxton; R.A.K. Mason appeared in and edited Phoenix, appeared in Kiwi and Tomorrow, had a book printed if not entirely published by Lowry, and books published by Caxton; A.R.D. Fairburn was published in Phoenix, Sirocco frequently in Tomorrow, had pamphlets published by Lowry and Holloway, books published by Caxton; Allen Curnow appeared in Phoenix, Sirocco, and Tomorrow, had a book published by Lowry and Holloway, and many books published by Caxton; Sargeson had a book published by Lowry, a book by Caxton, and was a very frequent contributor to Tomorrow; James Bertram, Brasch, and Ian Milner, the trio from Waitaki Boys' High School, were mostly overseas after the early thirties, but Bertram edited and wrote for Phoenix and sent articles to Tomorrow; Brasch contributed to Phoenix; had a book published by Caxton, and was an occasional contributor to Tomorrow; and Milner appeared in Phoenix and Oriflamme, helped edit a book for Caxton, and sent articles to Tomorrow.