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James Courage

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Francis Courage (9 February 1903–5 October 1963) was a New Zealand novelist, short-story writer, poet and bookseller. He was born in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9 February 1903.[1]

James Courage
Born(1903-02-09)9 February 1903
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died5 October 1963(1963-10-05) (aged 60)
London, England
Resting placeWaipara River, New Zealand
OccupationWriter
Genre Novels, Short Stories, Plays

Early life and education

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Courage was born to Frank Hubert Courage and Zoë Frances Peache. He grew up near Amberley, New Zealand on a farm.[1]

He attended Christ's College from 1916-1921. It was during his time there that he started writing. He later carried out his tertiary studies at St John's College, University of Oxford in 1923.[1]

Career

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In 1927, Courage relocated to London.[2] He briefly worked as a journalist, served as a Fire Warden during World War II, and worked in a bookshop between 1940 and 1950. He was made the store manager in 1946.[3]

Courage was a prominent writer. His rural New Zealand upbringing served as a setting for five of his eight novels.[1] Some of his works were subject to censorship at the time of publication due to their depictions of romantic relationships between men. In particular, his novel A way of love (1959) was banned in New Zealand at the time due to its homosexual content.[1]

Courage was a recipient of the Hubert Church Memorial Prize.[4] He was also the inspiration for P.E.N's 'Courage Day' which raised awareness to the persecution of writers.[5]

Works

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Novels[1]

  • One House (1933)
  • The Fifth child (1948)
  • Desire without content (1950)
  • Fires in the distance (1952)
  • The young have secrets (1954)
  • The call home (1956)
  • A way of Love (1959)
  • The visit to Penmorten (1961)

Short Stories[1]

  • Uncle Adam Shot a Stag (1945)

Plays[1]

  • Private History (1938)

Personal life

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Much of Courage's life was documented in a series of diaries dated from 1920-1963.[6] He wrote about his relationships as well as his experiences during the World War II bombings of London.[7] In discussing his motivations, Courage told his diary: "Why do I go on writing? One reason is that I believe I’ve written about people in Canterbury as it has never been done before – just as Turgenev wrote about certain people in Russian provincial society as it had not been done before."[8]

Courage lived in England for most of his life, though had a 17 month stint in New Zealand following a tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment in Norfolk from 1931-1933.[9] He was also known to suffer from depression, and received treatment at various points in his life.[1]

Courage was gay, and recorded his relationships with various men in his diaries. He noted one particular relationship with a man named Frank, who he briefly lived with in Argentina.[7] He also maintained friendships with other prominent New Zealand writers such as Frank Sargeson and D'Arcy Cresswell.[3]

Courage died in Hampstead on 5 October 1963. He requested to have his ashes scattered on the Waipara River in New Zealand, near where he grew up.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harris, Grant. "James Francis Courage". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. ^ "The Writings of James Courage :: Chris Brickell". www.brickell.co.nz. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b Steer, Philip (6 July 2008). "James Courage, 1903–1963". Kōtare: New Zealand Notes & Queries. 7 (2).
  4. ^ McLintock, A.H. (1966). "Prizes Offered by Literary or Other Societies". Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Courage Day 15th November – what's it all about?". www.scoop.co.nz. 12 November 2003. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  6. ^ Brickell, Chris (31 August 2020). "James Courage Diaries". Otago University Press. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b Stead, Karl (24 August 2021). "A tortured dandy in nice slippers: CK Stead on James Courage". Newsroom. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  8. ^ Philip Matthews, 'Rediscovering Courage: A Canterbury writer has his moment', Stuff, 4 September 2021 [1]
  9. ^ Parker, Peter (6 January 2022). "A reappraisal of James Courage". The Spectator. Retrieved 14 April 2024.

Further reading

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  • Brickell, Chris "James Courage Diaries", Otago University Press, 2021
  • Giffuni, Cathe. "James Courage: A Checklist of Published Primary and Secondary Sources, 1925-1986," JNZL: Journal of New Zealand Literature, No. 5, 1987.
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