Author(s): James K. Baxter

NZ Poetry | Secondhand

Secondhand. A wonderful collection of the great New Zealand poet James K. Baxter. Published by Oxford University Press in 1981.

Baxter’s poetry is rich with imagery and mythology, with themes of nature, religion, social commentary and human frailty. It ranges from the spiritual to the obscene, from simple children’s rhymes and witty epigrams to epic ballads and sophisticated modernist works. He claimed the purpose of art was ‘to provide a healthy and permanent element of rebellion’, and that ‘poetry should contain moral truth’.