Agnes Newton Keith - Philippines, Libya and Later Years

Philippines, Libya and Later Years

In 1953 Harry joined the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, and was posted to the Philippines, based in Manila. Agnes wrote Bare Feet in the Palace about post-war life in the Philippines, culminating in the 1953 election. It was published in 1955.

Harry then became FAO Representative in Libya, and served six years as forestry adviser in the country. He retired in 1964. True to form, Agnes wrote about her experiences in the country, publishing Children of Allah, between the Sea and the Sahara in 1966.

In 1959 Agnes was named an Alpha Gamma Delta Distinguished Citizen.

The Keiths retired to British Columbia, where Agnes continued writing. Her first novel, Beloved Exiles, was published in 1972. It was set in North Borneo in the period between 1936 and 1951. Her last book, Before the Blossoms Fall: Life and Death in Japan, was published in 1975.

Agnes Newton Keith died at age 80 in Oak Bay, British Columbia. Harry died the same year.