Elsie Locke

Elsie Violet Locke (1912 - 2001) was a New Zealand writer, historian, environmentalist, one-time communist, and leading activist in the feminism and peace movements.  She graduated with a BA from Auckland in 1933 in the height of the Depression, a time of limited job opportunities.  She moved to Wellington where her experience  with unemployment led her to join the Communist Party of New Zealand (CPNZ) which actively supported the unemployed.  She became the Party's voice for women but she worked with and for women outside the party.  Her support of Communism ended in the 1956 when the atrocities committed in the Soviet Union during the Stalinist era were revealed.  After her break with the Communist Party, Elsie remained politically active although she wasn't affiliated with a particular party.  Her writing career developed during a two-year stay in hospital after a spinal tuberculosis diagnosis in 1946.  She was very productive in hospital, contributing articles to the Listener, recording talks for radio and completing her first novel, which was never published.  While always an activist, Elsie dedicated much of her time to writing: poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, with an emphasis on writing for children. 

The library has a number of items that have come from Elsie Locke's personal collection.  These have been digitised and brought together in this collection.