James Courage – from banned to back in print
28 Oct 2026
Old Boy James Courage’s (2920) ground-breaking novel, A Way of Love, has been republished – nearly 70 years after its first edition.
The novelist, short story writer, and poet is regarded as a pioneer of New Zealand gay fiction. A Flower’s House boarder from 1916–1921, James later entered St John’s College at the University of Oxford, gaining a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1927.
His first novel, One House, was written in 1933. Three of Courage’s eight novels are set in England while the rest have a New Zealand setting, with many focusing on Canterbury runholders and family relationships.
First published by Jonathan Cape in 1959, A Way of Love is set among gay men in late-1950s London. It will be republished by Lurid Editions, an independent British publisher “specialising in the rediscovery of overlooked queer and feminist writing”.
The novel follows the relationship between a middle-aged architect and a younger man, “offering an intimate portrait of queer domestic life before decriminalisation”.
The novel was banned in New Zealand in 1961. Courage Day – introduced by PEN New Zealand (the New Zealand Society of Authors) – is observed each year on 15 November to draw attention to censorship and defend freedom of expression.
You can order A Way of Love at lurideditions.com.
