Preliminary note

Published by the Literary Club of the Auckland University College in 1932 and 1933, the four issues of Phoenix have attained mythic stature in the annals of New Zealand literature. The following bibliographical description and nominal index benefits from archival research and from several interviews with the late James Bertram, one of the magazine’s founders and its first editor.

In addition to the bound material, Phoenix appeared with at least two other items slipped into its pages. Concerned at the ‘somewhat bedraggled appearance’ of the first number of Phoenix, Robert Lowry printed the following note for insertion into the issue. As it has been lost from most library copies, it is reproduced here in full.

Many Readers will no doubt have remarked the somewhat bedraggled appearance of the Phoenix in this first stage of its flight. It may perhaps be worth pointing out that certain pages of this number cannot be considered at all representative of the standard of typography to be maintained in future issues. The bulk of the letterpress was produced (as is explained elsewhere) under conditions of extraordinary difficulty unlikely to occur again.

At the earnest request of what may be styled (with rather undue impressiveness) the Printing Department, this notice is inserted by

    The Editors

As I have described previously, Eric Cook’s article ‘Groundswell’ intended for the third number of Phoenix was removed on the order of the Auckland University College Students’ Association.¹ It would have appeared on pages thirty-five and thirty-six of the issue and was replaced by a note printed on bonded paper and tipped into the issue. The note reads:

The Editor regrets that the article which formerly occupied pages 35 and 36 has been removed by order of the Students’ Association Executive of the Auckland University College.

Standard modern indexing conventions have been adopted for this description and index, but users should be aware of the following points.

1.     The first issue of Phoenix was printed without page numbers, signified here by the abbreviation ‘n.pag.’

2.     Two errors occurred in the pagination of Vol.2, no.1, whereby page fifty was incorrectly numbered page forty-eight and page fifty-one given the page number forty-five. This has been silently corrected in this index by imposing the correct page numbers in square brackets.

3.     Uncertain attributions are marked with an asterisk (*).

Bibliographical description

Title: The Phoenix: A Quarterly Magazine (Title and sub-title varies.)

Motto: ‘Will the bird perish,

    Shall the bird rise?’

Imprint: Auckland: The Literary Club of the Auckland University College, 1932-1933 (Imprint varies.)

Editorial Staff:

Vol.1, no.1 (March 1932): James Bertram(Editor) with Robert Lowry (Business Manager) and Jean Alison, Rilda Gorrie, Rona Munro, Allen Curnow, D. H. Monro, and Blackwood Paul (Associate Editors).

Vol.1, no.2 (July 1932): James Bertram (Editor) with Jean Alison(Secretary), Evan Harrowell (Treasurer), Robert Lowryand G. B. Bertram (Printing and Business Managers), L. D. Morrison(Art Editor), and Rilda Gorrie, Rona Munro, J. A. W. Bennett, Allen Curnow, G. Campbell MacDiarmid, D. H. Monro, and Blackwood Paul (Committee).

Vol.2, no.1 (March 1933): R. A. K. Mason (Editor) with Jean Alison(Secretary), G. B. Bertram (Business Manager), and J. A. W. Bennett, Allen Curnow, Evan Harrowell, Robert Lowry, L. D. Morrison, D. H. Monro, Blackwood Paul, and Rona Munro(Committee).²

Vol.2, no.2 (June 1933):     R. A. K. Mason (Editor) with Jean Alison(Secretary), G. B. Bertram (Business Manager), and Evan Harrowell, Robert Lowry, L. D. Morrison, D. H. Monro, Blackwood Paul, Miss Odd, and Rona Munro (Committee).³

Printer: Robert Lowry with Ronald Holloway.

Frequency: Intended as a quarterly, but irregular. Four issues published.

Numbering: Vol.1, no.1—Vol.2, no.2. (March 1932—June 1933).

Illustrations: Woodcuts and linocuts.

Noteworthy contributors: J. C. Beaglehole, J. A. W. Bennett, James Bertram, Charles Brasch, D’Arcy Cresswell, Allen Curnow, A. R. D. Fairburn, R. A. K. Mason, and D. H. Monro.

Noteworthy artists: L. D. Morrison, Neil Johnstone, and Kennaway Henderson.

Nominal index

Allen, C. R.,

poetry: ‘Burnham Beeches’, 2.2: 39;

‘The Swan’, 1.2: 24.

article: (‘C. R. A.’), ‘Thoughts on the Function of Poetry’, review of Golden Wedding by Alan Mulgan, 1.2: 47-48, 50.

Barwell, J. G.,

article: (‘J. G. B.’), ‘A Reply to Mr Brasch’, 1.2: 41-43.

Beaglehole, J. C.,

poetry: ‘Decline of the West’, 2.2: 11-13.

Bennett, J. A. W.,

articles: (‘J. A. W. B.’), ‘After Which’, 1.2: 40-41;

‘The Necessity of Criticism’, 1.1: n.pag;

‘Our Universities: the point of view’ (extract), 1.1: n.pag;

(‘J. A. W. B.’), ‘Remembrance of Things Past’, review of Life and Beauty, a spiritual autobiography by P. W. Robertson, 1.2: 44-47.

(‘J. A. W. B.’), review of New Zealand Best Poems (1932), 2.1: [50]-[51].

(‘J. A.’), reviews of The Savage Pilgrimage: A narrative of D. H. Lawrence by Catherine Carswell, and Reminiscences of D. H. Lawrence by John Middleton Murry, 2.2: 64-65.*

(‘J. A. W. B.’), review of Sons by Pearl S. Buck, 2.2: 63.

Berkelbach, A. and D. G. Hutton,

article: (‘Karl Marx said:’) (extract), 2.2: 16.

Bertram, James,

poetry: translation of ‘Cors De Chasse’ by Guillaume Apollinaire, 1.1: n.pag.

translation of ‘The Dunes Outside’ by Arno Holz, 1.1: n.pag.

articles: (‘J. M. B.’), ‘A Commentary’, 1.2: 22-23.

‘The Cause of it all’, 1.1: n.pag.

‘University Poetry 1931’, reviews of Kiwi, Spike, Canterbury College Review, and Otago University Review, 1.1: n.pag.

(‘J. M. B.’), ‘University Prose’, reviews of Kiwi, Spike, Canterbury College Review, and Otago University Review, 1.2: 55-59.

Brasch, Charles,

poetry: ‘Cape Wanbrow: To I. M.’, 1.1: n.pag.

‘Cold Music’, 1.1: n.pag.

‘Mountain Storm’, 2.1: 34.

articles: ‘The Challenge of Russia’, 1.1: n.pag.

translation of ‘Letters to a Young Poet’ by Rainer Maria Rilke, 1.2: 18-21.

‘Walter D’Arcy Cresswell’, 1.1: n.pag.

Brogden, S. M. W.,

article: ‘Democracy: Bourgeois or Proletarian?’ 2.1: 45-46.

Champ, Stephen,

illustration: (‘S. F. C.’), ‘Strictly non-controversial’ (woodcut), 2.2: frontispiece.

Coleridge, Samuel,

article: ‘Three Comments’ (extract), 1.1: n.pag.

Cook, Eric,

article: (‘E. K. C.’), ‘ The Phoenix ’, 1.2: 34-36.

Cowie, D. J.,

fiction: ‘Music at Home’, 1.2: 28-32.

Cresswell, D’Arcy,

article: ‘Culture and Puberty’, 1.1: n.pag.

Curnow, Allen,

poetry: ‘Apocalyptic’, 2.2: 41.

‘Arcady’, 2.2: 40.

‘Calm’, 1.1: n.pag.

‘Drawing-Room Window’, 2.1: 43.

‘Egotism (As the Hebrew Poets Wrote)’, 1.1: n.pag.

‘The Spirit Shall Return’, 1.2: 33.

articles: (‘A. C.’), review of The New Zealand Fortnightly Review, 2.2: 57.*

(‘A. C.’), review of Sonnets and Studies by C. R. Allen, 2.2: 57-58.

(‘A. C.’), review of Tom’s A-Cold by John Collier, 2.2: 63-64.

Fairburn, A. R. D.,

poetry: ‘Deserted Farmyard’, 2.1: 12.

‘Straw’, 2.1: 10-11.

article: (‘A. R. D. F.’), ‘Marx is the bunk’, 2.2: 53.

Firth, Clifton,

articles: ‘Russian Films: 1’, 2.1: 17-22.

‘Russian Films: 2’, 2.2: 21-25.

Firth, Clinton and R. A. K. Mason(‘Group A’),

article: ‘Free Man’, 2.1: 38-43.

Fitzherbert, Patricia,

article: review of Where Stands Socialism To-day? by Harold Laski et al, 2.2: 59-60.*

review of Twelve Studies in Soviet Russia, 2.2: 60.

Fowlds, George,

article: (‘Everywhere throughout the civilised world’) (extract), 2.1: 4.

Froude, J. A.,

article: ‘Know this place?’ (extract), 2.2: 46.

‘Garibaldi’,

article: ‘All Roads march on Rome’, 2.1: 46-48.

Gorrie, Rilda,

fiction: ‘Crade Likeness’, 1.1: n.pag.

article: (‘R. G.’), review of Pencarrow by Nelle Scanlan, 1.2: 50-52.

Grey, Sir George,

article: (‘Even in the case of the missionaries’) (extract), 2.1: 16.

‘Group A’, see R. A. K. Mason and Clifton Firth.

Hanning, Ian,

article: ‘Our Universities: the point of view’ (extract), 1.1: n.pag.

Hamilton, Cicely,

article: ‘How Bill Adams won the battle of Waterloo’, 2.2: 20.

Henderson, Kennaway,

illustration: (‘Ken’), ‘Censor’ (linocut), 2.2: facing page 20.

Hulme, T. E.,

article: ‘Three Comments’ (extract), 1.1: n.pag.

Hyde, Lawrence,

article: ‘Three Comments’ (extract), 1.1: n.pag.

Johnstone, Neil,

illustration: ‘Figurehead’ (linocut), 1.2: frontispiece.

‘J. P.’, see R. A. K. Mason.

‘L. M.’,

article: review of A Study in Creative History by O. E. Burton, 2.1: [50].⁴

Lowry, R. W.,

article: ‘Literature and Philosophy: a prospect’, 1.1: n.pag.

(‘R. L.’), review of Introduction to Psycho-Analysis for Teachers by Ann Freud, 2.1: [51]-52.

(‘R. L.’), reviews of Anne Vickers by Sinclair Lewis, The Art of Being a Woman by Olga Knopf, and Woman’s Place in Industry and Home by Sylvia Anthony, 2.2: 62-63.

(‘R. L.’), review of The Student Vanguard, 2.2: 60-63.

(‘R. L.’), review of Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed, 2.2: 60-63.*

(‘R. L.’), review of USSR in Construction, 2.2: 60-63.*

Male, John Gifford,

poetry: (‘J. G. M.’), ‘Priesthood’, 1.2: 21.

Mason, R. A. K.,

poetry: ‘Amores VI’, 2.2: 17.

‘In Manus Tuas, Domine’, 2.1: 37.

‘Stoic Overthrow’, 1.1: n.pag.

fiction: ‘His End Was Peace’, 1.2: 5-16.

articles: (anonymous), ‘How it strikes a contemporary’, 2.2: 18-20.

‘Notes’, 2.1: 5-9.

‘Notes’, 2.2: 1-10.

(‘J. P.’),⁵ ‘The New Economics Hits New Zealand’, review of New Zealand Plain Talk, 2.1: 28-34.

reviews of James Joyce and the Plain Reader by Charles Duff, Hunger and Love by Lionel Britton, Experimental Cinema No.4, and Soviet Russia and the World by Maurice Dobb, 2.1: 52-56.*

review of Light on the Legion, 2.2: 54.*

review of Oriflamme, 2.2: 55-57.

review of The New Zealnd [sic] Legion by D. G. McMillan, 2.2: 54-55.*

review of To The Workers of New Zealand, 2.2: 55.*

review of Pomes Penyeachby James Joyce, 2.2: 65.*

review of Spacetime Innby Lionel Britton, 2.2: 65.*

Mason, R. A. K., and Clifton Firth(‘Group A’),

article: ‘Free Man’, 2.1: 38-43.

Mill, J. S.,

article: (‘If all mankind minus one were of one opinion’) (extract), 2.2: epigraph.

Milner, Ian,

poetry: ‘Haven sighted—unmapped’, 2.2: 10.

‘We Will Remember Them’, 2.1: 27.

fiction: ‘Michael Grows Up’, 2.1: 24-27.

article: ‘A Note on Katherine Mansfield’, 1.1: n.pag.

Monro, D. H.,

fiction: (‘D. H. M.’), ‘Portrait of a prodigy’, 2.2: 26-30.

Monro, D. H., and Blackwood Paul (‘D. H. M. and D. B. P.’),

article: ‘We Critics’, 1.2: 36-40.

Morrison, L. D.,

illustrations: ‘For Phoenix and Oriflamme’ (linocut), 2.2: facing page 32.

[Grim Reaper] (linocut), 2.1: 48.

‘Matins’ (linocut), 2.2: facing page 44.

‘Metroproletarian’ (linocut), 2.1: 44.

‘Morning in Tuscany’ (linocut), 1.2: 17.

‘Silo’ (linocut), 2.1: 23.

‘The dreamer in the Kremlin’ (linocut), 2.2: facing page 60.

‘Tug’ (linocut), 2.1: 13.

Munro, Rona,

fiction: ‘Matins’, 2.2: 45-46.

‘Twenty Years Ago’, 1.2: 25-27.

Otago University Review Editorial,

articles: ‘The need of a new asceticism is upon us’ (extract), 1.1: n.pag.

‘Our Universities: the point of view’ (extract), 1.1: n.pag.

Paul, Blackwood,

articles: ‘Crankishness in contemporary religion’, 2.2: 47-52.

(‘B.D.P.’ [sic]), review of Seven One-Act Plays by Violet Targuse et al, 2.2: 58-59.*

Paul, Blackwood, and D. H. Monro(‘D. H. M. and D. B. P.’),

article: ‘We Critics’, 1.2: 36-40.

Pharazyn, W. N.,

article: ‘What is it?’ 2.2: 34-39.

Prince, J. W.,

articles: ‘Art in the World Crisis’, 2.1: 14-16.

‘Maxim Gorky’, 2.2: 14-16.

Richmond, N. M.,

article: review of The Coming Struggle For Power by John Strachey, 2.2: 31-33.

Robertson, F. H.,

article: (‘F. H. R.’), ‘Recent Literature of the Class War’, reviews of, Moscow Impressions by Allen Fisher, A New Zealand Woman in Russia by H. J. Scott, This Freedom, The Unemployed and the Churches by ‘Jack Nag’, It Still Goes Onby ‘Jack Nag’, ProletariatVol.1, no.1, and FreethoughtVol.1, no.1, 1.2: 52-55.

Stewart, J. S.,

article: ‘Oxford—red or yellow?’ (extract), 2.2: 42-44.

Straubel, Carl,

poetry: (‘C. R. S.’), ‘For Phoenix and Oriflamme , 2.2: facing page 32.

Sullivan, M. G.,

article: review of The Dallimore Campaign Exposed, 2.1: 49.

The Times (London),

article: ‘Press Notice’ (extract), 1.2: 43.

Whitmore, Cyril,

illustration: ‘Home’ (linocut), 1.2: 49.