James K. Baxter Letters of a Poet: Volume 1 & 2

1648 pages. James K. Baxter was not a man of few words, and his private correspondence wa s no exception. Letters of a Poet, edited by his good friend and frequent corres pondent John Weir, contains almost 900 of Baxterâs letters from 1939 to 1972, covering his teenage years and entire adult life. Frank, funny, generou s, sometimes filthy, packed with poems and musings on love, the Catholic faith, and how to live well and write well, they provide remarkable new insights into h is life and work.The two volumes include letters to his parents, Archibal d and Millicent Baxter, the conscientious objector Noel Ginn, and many of the le ading literary figures of the time, including Charles Brasch, Allen Curnow, Fran k Sargeson, Fleur Adcock, Lawrence Baigent, Barry Crump, Maurice Shadbolt, W. H. Oliver, Robin Dudding and many more. Included is an ntroduction by John Weir, a nd biographies of correspondents, a timeline, and index.