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Salient. The Newspaper of Victoria University College. Vol. 20, No. 1. March 22, 1956

New Literary Society starts auspiciously

New Literary Society starts auspiciously

Two notable figures in New Zealand literature—R. A. K. Mason and Charles Brasch—were the guests of the VUC Literary Society in the staff common room on Friday, 9th March.

Among the sixty present to discuss New Zealand literature were poets Dennis Glover, Anton Vogt, Charles Doyle, Alastair Campbell, James K. Baxter and socialist Ormond Wilson. Chairman was James Bertram.

"This country's literature began in the thirties," said Charles Brasch, addressing the meeting, "when our writers began subconsciously to write for a New Zealand public." Mr. Brasch discussed the progress of that literature from "Phoenix"—a literary journal founded in Auckland, which James Bertram and R. A. K. Mason had edited—through Mason, Glover, Curnow, Fairburn and Sargeson to the young poets of the present generation. He dwelt especially with "Landfall," of which he is editor. "We wished to provide a literary journal concerned also with music, drama, art, and social comment. The best of overseas journals we did not copy, but took as a standard which we wished to attain."

Mason Embarrassed

The "Patriach of New Zealand Letters," R. A. K. Mason, seemed embarrassed by the effusion of eulogy, and spoke very simply. He called for a New Zealand poetry which is "clear and lucid," and which "speaks in the language of humanity."

In the discussion which followed Dennis Glover called for more satire in our verse writing, "defended" the State Literary Fund (a furtive glance—"is the Minister present?"); Alastair Campbell apologized politely for having ever disagreed with earlier poets; and James K. Baxter sprang to the defence of "difficult" poetry.

This was an auspicious beginning for the newly-reformed Literary Society.

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