41 Facts About Charles Brasch

Charles Orwell Brasch was a New Zealand poet, literary editor and arts patron.

Charles Brasch was the founding editor of the literary journal Landfall, and through his 20 years of editing the journal, had a significant impact on the development of a literary and artistic culture in New Zealand.

Charles Brasch was the first and only son of Helene Fels, a member of the prominent Hallenstein family of clothing merchants through her mother, and her husband Hyam Brasch, a lawyer who later changed his name to Henry Brash.

In 1914, when Brasch was aged four, his mother died suddenly during her third pregnancy; he was later to describe this event as the end of his childhood.

Charles Brasch grew up in Dunedin and spent much time at Manono, the house of his mother's father, Willi Fels, who instilled in him a lifelong love of European culture and artworks, and later supported his career in the arts.

Charles Brasch began writing poetry during his time there and had some success publishing poems in the school magazine.

Charles Brasch began lifelong friendships with James Bertram, later to become a notable literary figure in his own right, and Ian Milner, the son of the school's principal, Frank Milner.

Charles Brasch's father tried to discourage his interest in poetry, wishing his only son to enter the commercial world, rather than become a scholar, but was unsuccessful.

In 1927 Charles Brasch was sent by his father to St John's College, Oxford, where he gained an "ignominious third" in Modern History.

Charles Brasch was unofficially tutored by his mother's cousin Esmond de Beer, who had lived in London since childhood, and who along with his sisters introduced Brasch to a love of fine art that would last the rest of his life.

Charles Brasch began writing serious poetry during this time, exploring issues of European settlement in New Zealand, which was published in New Zealand journals such as Phoenix and Tomorrow.

Charles Brasch was able to travel widely due to financial support from his maternal grandfather.

When World War II broke out, Charles Brasch was travelling to New Zealand with his father after his younger sister's funeral.

Charles Brasch decided to return to England, on the basis that having "enjoyed and loved the best of England", he "must not now refuse the worst".

Charles Brasch registered for military service, but was rejected because of slight emphysemia and was instead employed as a firewatcher until June 1941.

Charles Brasch worked in the Italian section in the redbrick Elmers School building; he learnt Romanian and his position was described as Head of Romanian and Italian.

Charles Brasch later described Bletchley Park as Kafkaesque, with no one willing to make decisions; he and his colleagues could not get an old unsafe stove replaced until it had set the room on fire.

Charles Brasch shared lodgings with Roberts at the nearby village of Soulbury.

Charles Brasch wrote mainly about New Zealand, despite living in England.

Charles Brasch later said: "It was New Zealand I discovered, not England, because New Zealand lived in me as no other country could live, part of myself as I was part of it, the world I breathed and wore from birth, my seeing and my language".

Charles Brasch moved into Lawn Road Flats, and Denis Glover stayed with him when on leave from the Navy.

Charles Brasch wrote in his journal that although he did not like all the poems that Curnow had chosen, the fact of his inclusion gave him "a great sense of support, of being established, having arrived".

When Charles Brasch resigned from the Foreign Office after the war, he returned to New Zealand, settling in Dunedin permanently.

The journal's character and importance reflected Charles Brasch's efforts; given his independent family wealth, he was able to devote himself to editing the journal on a full-time basis, and applied high and exacting standards to the publication and the work published in it.

Charles Brasch did encourage and promote the work of new writers in whom he saw promise.

Charles Brasch ensured that the journal not only published poems, short stories and reviews, but published paintings, photographs and other visual art, and provided commentary on the arts, theatre, music, architecture, and aspects of public affairs.

In later life Charles Brasch was a substantial patron of arts and literature in New Zealand, usually quietly and anonymously.

Charles Brasch established the Roberts Burns Fellowship, the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship and Mozart Fellowship at the University of Otago, together with his cousins Esmond, Dora and Mary de Beer.

Charles Brasch was a patron and contributor to the Otago Museum; in this regard he followed in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, Willi Fels.

Charles Brasch anonymously supported many New Zealand writers, including Frame, Sargeson and Baxter, and championed and supported artists including McCahon, Rita Angus, Toss Woollaston and many others.

Charles Brasch continued to write poetry, publishing The Estate and Other Poems in 1957 and Ambulando in 1964.

Charles Brasch had felt unrequited love for Harry Scott for many years, and was devastated by his accidental death in 1960.

Charles Brasch's works were almost exclusively published in New Zealand and continued to focus on New Zealand identity.

Charles Brasch became ill with cancer in mid-1972, and before his death was looked after at home by Margaret Scott and another friend Ruth Dallas.

Charles Brasch's ashes were scattered, in accordance with a direction in his will, at a "high and windy place" in New Zealand's South Island hills.

Charles Brasch's archives are housed at the Hocken Collections, where over 450 artworks gifted by him can be seen.

Charles Brasch bequeathed his house at Broad Bay to Anna Caselberg and her husband John Caselberg, both New Zealand artists and members of The Group, and after their deaths in 2004 the house became an artist's retreat.

When gifting his journals and personal papers to the Hocken Library, Charles Brasch did so on the condition that they be embargoed for thirty years after his death, to avoid embarrassing his friends.

Charles Brasch's journals were published in a three volume series between 2013 and 2018.

In 2015, the Otago University Press published a collection of Charles Brasch's Selected Poems, chosen and edited by his friend and literary executor Alan Roddick.

Charles Brasch has been described as bisexual by biographer Peter Simpson.