Charles Allan Marris (11 September 1876 – 30 June 1947) was a New Zealand journalist and editor. As an editor, he "upheld Georgian poetic conventions and discouraged literary modernism", and encouraged the works of

Robin Hyde Robin Hyde, the pseudonym used by Iris Guiver Wilkinson (19 January 1906 – 23 August 1939), was a South African-born New Zealand poet, journalist and novelist. Early life Wilkinson was born in Cape Town to an English father and an Australia ...

. Marris had a long-standing feud with

Denis Glover Denis James Matthews Glover (9 December 19129 August 1980) was a New Zealand poet and publisher. Born in Dunedin, he attended the University of Canterbury where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently lectured. He worked as a reporte ...

; in his 1937 satirical poem ''The Arraignment of Paris'', Glover stated Marris was the "arbiter of all our art and letters / presenting rotten apples to his betters". Marris wrote a daily column under the alias Percy Flage in '' The Evening Post'' until 1946.

Early life

Charles Allan Marris was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia, on 11 September 1876 to Charles Augustus Marris, a law clerk, and Agnes Reid Allan. In his early life, Charles was a schoolteacher in Ballarat and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

. On 6 June 1900, Marris married Ethel Anderson Revitt; with Revitt, he moved to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

, and worked at Newtown School as a relieving teacher.

Editor and journalist

Marris became a journalist for '' The Evening Post'' in 1913, where he worked as the paper's representative in the press gallery of the parliamentary. In 1914, he became an associate editor for '' The Sun'', where he opened up its pages to local writers. Marris worked for the paper until 1924, published poems by

and A. R. D. Fairburn, and stated he discovered

Eileen Duggan Eileen May Duggan (21 May 1894 – 10 December 1972) was a New Zealand poet and journalist, from an Irish Roman Catholic family. She worked in Wellington as a journalist, and wrote a weekly article for the Catholic weekly '' The New Zealand ...

. In 1925, he became an editor, and later managing editor, of '' The New Zealand Times''. After that paper merged with '' The Dominion'', he was appointed as editor of the ''New Zealand Referee and Sporting Record''. Marris published a daily column in ''The Evening Post'' until 1946 as "Percy Flage". In 1928, Marris became the literary editor for ''Art in New Zealand'', published by Harry Tombs, where he "ran a campaign against modernist incursions into New Zealand verse". He edited three issues of ''Rata'', a Christmas annual which focused on artwork, poetry, fiction, and photographs, between 1931 and 1933, and edited an anthology entitled ''New Zealand Best Poems'' published by Tombs between 1932 and 1943. Due to his

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

ideals, he was often in conflict with avant-garde poets who centralized around the Caxton Press and

. Glover believed Marris represented an unhealthy and outdated literary establishment, with author Lawrence Jones citing Marris, John Schroder, and

Alan Mulgan Alan Edward Mulgan (18 May 1881 – 29 August 1962) was a New Zealand journalist, writer and broadcaster. He was born in Katikati, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, of Protestant Irish parents, on 18 May 1881, and died in Lower Hutt. In 1935, M ...

as representative of the enemy of Caxton Press writers. Marris and Glover had a long-standing feud that dated back to at least 1933, when Marris rejected a Glover poem submitted for ''New Zealand Best Poems''. In the satirical poem ''The Arraignment of Paris'', Glover stated Marris was the "arbiter of all our art and letters / presenting rotten apples to his betters". In response to the poem, Marris threatened to sue Glover. From 1907 to 1911, Marris had over 24 pieces of poetry published in '' Sydney Bulletin'' Red Page, with a piece published in ''Canterbury University College Review'' in 1931. Pieces were also published in ''New Zealand Artists’ Annual'' and in ''New Zealand Railways Magazine''. Marris served as President of the PEN New Zealand Centre from 1937 to 1938 and was a member thereof until his death. As an editor, Marris "upheld Georgian poetic conventions and discouraged literary modernism" and favoured authors such as J. C. Andersen, Duggan, Dora Hagemeyer, and Hyde. Marris encouraged Hyde, and arranged publication of her 1935 work ''The Conquerors and Other Poems''. Marris died on 30 June 1947 in Porirua. He had a daughter, and four sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marris, Charles Allan 1876 births 1947 deaths 20th-century New Zealand journalists New Zealand editors New Zealand magazine editors Australian emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand male poets 20th-century New Zealand poets New Zealand schoolteachers Australian schoolteachers