Nonfiction charles brasch journals 1938–1945 1938
For most of his adult life Charles Brasch s most intimate companion was his diary In these journals written in London during the Second World War he is a young man searching for answers Is he a pacifist Should he join the army Is he homosexual Should he marry Should he return home to New Zealand when the war ends Are his poems any good Some questions are resolved in the course of the journals others not but it all makes compelling reading So too do the people we meet in these kith and kin conscientious objectors civil servants working at Bletchley Park as Brasch was to members of the Adelphi Players fellow fire wardens refugees from Europe and artists and writers both English and Kiwi As Rachel Barrowman writes in her introductory essay on his return home Brasch was to hold a central place in New Zealand literary life for two decades as founder of Landfall and as patron mentor and writer In these splendid journals he prepares for that role Charles Brasch Journals 1938 1945New Zealand poet literary editor and arts patron..
