Unpublished Baxter poem to be auctioned

James K. Baxter.
James K. Baxter.
An unpublished James K. Baxter poem is coming up for auction.

Dunbar Sloane Wellington head of rare books Anthony Gallagher, of Wellington, said the poem featured in a letter from Baxter to fellow Dunedin poet Denis Glover.

It would be auctioned on October 15 and was expected to sell for between $1500 and $3000, he said.

The letter was found about two years ago, in a box of books by a woman who had bought the books cheaply.

''She opened the front page of a book and out flew this two-page typed letter - a poem to Denis Glover and signed in ink by James K Baxter.''

The woman asked the auction house to sell the letter.

The auction house gave the letter to the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington and the Hocken Library at the University of Otago in Dunedin.

The research revealed the poem was unpublished, he said.

The ''beautifully written'' letter was in great condition and easily readable. It

included condescending references to poet and columnist Allen Curnow.

Mr Gallagher said in the letter, Baxter referred to Curnow as ''Uncle A---''.

At the time, Baxter and Curnow were having weekly ''spats'', he said.

''I don't think there was any love lost between him and Baxter.''

Mr Gallagher said two private buyers had shown interest in the letter already and a phone bid had been made.

A retired ''contemporary'' of Baxter, who wanted to remain anonymous, had shown interest in buying the letter for ''sentimental'' reasons.

The Kapiti Coast poet was in poor health, so Mr Gallagher travelled from Wellington to show him the letter and he immediately recognised the poem subject as Curnow.

Sidney Holland, who was New Zealand prime minister from 1949 to 1957, also appeared in the poem. Baxter was a Dunedin poet and published from 1944 till his death in 1972.

Hocken Library staff were unavailable for comment yesterday but curator Anna Blackman earlier told The Dominion Post Baxter often wrote poems to friends, and new poetry cropped up every year or two.

She hoped to add the poem to its archive.shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

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