James Courage Diaries

Discover the compelling world of James Courage through his insightful diaries, meticulously edited by Chris Brickell. This paperback edition, published by Otago University Press, is a must-have for enthusiasts of queer literature and New Zealand history. Spanning 416 pages and measuring 148 x 210 mm, the collection offers readers an intimate glance into the life of one of New Zealand's pioneering homosexual authors. Born in Christchurch in 1903, Courage’s intricate thoughts were recorded from 1920 to 1963, showcasing his evolution from a privileged lifestyle to a voice of empathy and socialism. His writing captures the essence of his boarding-house life, the vibrant streets of London, and the rich tapestry of friendships within the literary scene. Employed with engaging honesty, Courage’s reflections address themes of sexuality, creativity, and resilience, making this diary an essential instrument for understanding the nuanced experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals in the past. Chris Brickell's careful curation unveils the depth of Courage’s character, revealing him as a complex thinker with a unique sense of humor. Join a journey through time with James Courage’s diaries, and celebrate the legacy of this significant New Zealand literary figure. Perfect for scholars, queer literature enthusiasts, or anyone interested in the authentic chronicles of life and identity, this book promises to inspire and evoke deep reflection.

Author: Edited by Chris Brickell Publisher: Otago University Press
Bind: paperback
Dimensions: 148 x 210 mm
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 04-06-2021

This blacked-out, bourgeois, boarding-house life - God in Heaven, how I really loathe it! The smell of evening cooking in the passages, the businessmen’s faces, the church clock chiming the polite quarters down the street - the whole couchemar d’une incessante mise en scčne. Pfui! Am I alive or dead? What I want is to get drunk, to lie in the hot and generous sun, to sleep with wild boys - yes, that is more like it. - James Courage, Diary, 24 Jan 1941. New Zealand author James Courage was born in Christchurch in 1903, and he became aware of his homosexuality during his adolescent years. He moved to London in 1927 and began writing novels, plays, poems and short stories. He was much more sexually open than most of his homosexual writer contemporaries - Frank Sargeson, Eric McCormick, Charles Brasch and Bill Pearson. A Way of Love, published in 1959, was the first gay novel written by a New Zealander, and some of his other seven novels (including Fires in the Distance and The Call Home) contain queer characters. Between 1920 and 1963, Courage confided his innermost thoughts to a private diary. He wrote about leaving New Zealand, the men he met in London’s streets, and forging friendships in the literary scene. He was an evocative chronicler of landscapes and indoor settings: life on long ocean voyages, air raid shelters during the war, and the psychiatrist’s clinic at a time when society was deeply ambivalent about homosexuality. Courage recorded his personal triumphs and struggles with an engaging honesty, a lively intelligence, and a whimsical sense of humour. Chris Brickell’s selections from the 400,000 words of diary entries reveal Courage to be a truly engaging man, a complex personality and an astute observer with a gentle, whimsical sense of humour, an acerbic wit and an artist’s appreciation of art. Courage’s diaries are a delightful surprise … James Courage is revealed to be both a significant writer and a sensitive, brave and engaging New Zealander we should be proud to own and celebrate. - Paul Millar What a wealth of contemporary detail is here about the shadow world (to many readers) of covert sexual engagement, and the sharp and engaging portrait of a middle-class privileged life, with its travel and its civilian experience of war. I also found of great interest his gradual change from an almost copy-book privileged aesthete, to a late in the day socialist. - Vincent O’Sullivan