Fitzclarence Anstey John Caselberg (19 August 1927 – 16 April 2004) was a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

writer. Caselberg was born at

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, south of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, in 1927 and educated at

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand, a feat achieved in part thanks to its original inception as a private school. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it r ...

from 1936 to 1944.''Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006'', 6th edition (CD-ROM) His work ranged through poetry and playwriting to short stories and essays. Along with his wife, artist Anna Caselberg, he was at the centre of a thriving art and literary milieu which included his good friend and collaborator

Colin McCahon Colin John McCahon (; 1August 191927May 1987) was a New Zealand artist whose work over 45 years consisted of various styles, including landscape, figuration, abstraction, and the overlay of painted text. Along with Toss Woollaston and Rita Angus ...

, father-in-law

Toss Woollaston Sir Mountford Tosswill "Toss" Woollaston (11 April 1910 – 30 August 1998) was a New Zealand artist. He is regarded as one of the most important New Zealand painters of the 20th century. Life Born in Toko, Taranaki in 1910, Woollaston attende ...

, and writer

Charles Brasch Charles Orwell Brasch (27 July 1909 – 20 May 1973) was a New Zealand poet, literary editor and arts patron. He was the founding editor of the literary journal ''Landfall'', and through his 20 years of editing the journal, had a significant i ...

. Caselberg was awarded the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

from the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

in 1961. He died in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in 2004. The Caselberg Trust, a charitable trust supporting artists, is named in honour of John and Anna Caselberg. The Trust awards an amount of money each year to an aspiring artist or writer.

Publications

* Chart to My Country, John Caselberg. European travel notes, art criticism and stories of "Cultural Contact". John McIndoe Ltd, Dunedin, 1973.

References

1927 births 2004 deaths People from Wakefield, New Zealand People educated at Nelson College 20th-century New Zealand poets People from Otago Peninsula People associated with The Group (New Zealand art) 20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights New Zealand male poets New Zealand male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century New Zealand short story writers New Zealand male short story writers 20th-century New Zealand non-fiction writers {{NewZealand-writer-stub