James K. Baxter

Poet

Birthday June 29, 1926

Birth Sign Cancer

Birthplace New Zealand

DEATH DATE Oct 22, 1972 (46)

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About

New Zealand poet, author, and radio dramatist whose best-known works include The Fallen House and Jack Winter's Dream. Several of his works, including The Bone Chanter and Horse: A Novel, were published after his death.

Before Fame

He started writing poetry when he was seven years old and published his first collection, Beyond the Palisades, when he was only seventeen.

Trivia

He traveled widely throughout Asia and caught dysentery; later, he lived on an Auckland commune.

Family Life

He married Jacqueline Sturm, with whom he had a son. Baxter's divorce was finalized in 1957 as a result of his conversion from his wife's Anglican faith to Catholicism.

Associated With

His early poetry was greatly influenced by the work of Dylan Thomas.