Martin Bax

{{Short description|British consultant paediatrician (1933–2024)|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Martin Charles Owen Bax (13 August 1933 – 24 March 2024) was a British consultant paediatrician, who, in addition to his medical career, founded the Arts magazine Ambit in 1959.{{cite web |title=Martin Bax |url=https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?132455 |website=ISFDB |access-date=31 March 2024}}{{cite web |title=Martin Bax |url=https://www.ndbooks.com/author/martin-bax/ |website=ND Books |access-date=31 March 2024}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ambitmagazine.co.uk/History.htm |title=Ambit history |accessdate=2010-02-01 |work=Ambit website |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130212728/http://www.ambitmagazine.co.uk/History.htm |archive-date=2010-01-30 |url-status=dead }} Since he created it, Ambit has published poetry, prose and artwork from the likes of Fleur Adcock, Peter Porter, Tennessee Williams, J. G. Ballard, Eduardo Paolozzi and many others. He retired as editor in 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=38214|title=Poet's daughter takes over as editor of literary magazine Ambit {{!}} Write Out Loud|website=www.writeoutloud.net|date=4 August 2013 |language=en-gb|access-date=2017-12-05}}

His first published novel was The Hospital Ship published by Cape and New Directions in 1976.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/hospitalship00baxm |url-access=registration |quote=the hospital ship bax. |title=The Hospital Ship |year=1976 |via=Internet Archive |accessdate=2010-02-01 |publisher=New Directions |isbn=9780811205849 }} Later, Love on the Borders was published by Seren in 2005. In the 1970s using text from The Hospital Ship he developed The Vietnam Symphony with jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther[https://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/little-british Eye][https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/eduardo-paolozzi-the-jet-age-compendium-raven-row-london-1802073.html The Independent] and this was performed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and subsequently on BBC Radio 3. He also wrote for children and his book Edmund went Far Away was published in the US and the UK.

Bax organised regular readings in the UK for Ambit magazine, and jazz events as well, presented at various venues in London and elsewhere including The Betsey Trotwood in Clerkenwell, London and Chelsea Arts Club. He edited the medical journal Developmental and Child Neurology.{{cite web|url=http://www.3ammagazine.com/litarchives/2002_jun/interview_martin_bax.html |title=Interview with Martin Bax |accessdate=2010-02-01 |last=Tinker |first=HP |year=2002 |work=3:AM Magazine }}

Bax lived in London. He died on 24 March 2024, at the age of 90.{{cite web |title=Mac Keith Press |url=https://www.mackeith.co.uk/about-us/our-history/ |website=Our History |access-date=31 March 2024}}{{cite news |title=Martin Bax, eminent paediatrician who also wrote novels and founded a sparky literary magazine – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/04/04/martin-bax-ambit-paediatrician-obituary/ |access-date=4 April 2024 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=4 April 2024}}