Australian outback literature of the 20th century
Encyclopedia
This article refers to the works of poets and novelists and specialized writers (missionaries, anthropologists, historians etc.) who have written about the Australian outback
from first-hand experience. This is a wide and important field of study, particularly as it frequently addresses race relations in Australia, often from a non-political point of view. Inevitably then, the Australian Aboriginal
and the Aboriginal background and lifestyle is frequently used as a theme or subject, making this field of additional interest to anyone concerned about the fortunes of the First Australians
. In many cases, the writers listed have produced other works on the period, which can be found by following the Wikipedia links.
The following information does not contain references to Australian literature of the Colonial period, nor does it include works of pioneering days or early exploration. On the other hand, in the first part of the 20th century, much of Australia was still being explored and encounters with Aborigines who had had little or no contact or knowledge of European settlers were still taking place well after World War II.
, has made the effort. Contact with the First Australians was never simple, and the early experience of native tribesmen and women with the new arrivals was fraught with difficulty, if not danger. Another writer who looked at this period is Brian Penton
, whose novel Landtakers recounts a disastrous meeting between black tribespeople and European settlers.
, South Australia
and Queensland
, and in 1901, the Federation of Australia
took place. Outback Australia
was still very much accessible only by horse and camel, with the latter faring far better than the former. Yet cattle and sheep were being driven north (and back south to market) in ever increasing numbers, leading to the establishment of the legendary stations of the outback, some of them to be described as “bigger than Texas.” In this period, Aborigines came to work on cattle stations in greater and greater numbers, proving themselves good horsemen and useful house servants. Indeed, a recurring theme running through much outback literature of the period is that, “the land could never have been opened up by Europeans without the help of the Aborigines.”
Writers referring to this period are necessarily more numerous, and include Mary Durack
, Charles Duguid
, A. M. Duncan-Kemp, Tom Cole, Michael Terry
, Alfred Searcy, R. G. Kimber, Gordon Buchanan, K. Langford Smith, Louis Kaye
and Ion Idriess
.
, journalists like Ernestine Hill
, patrol officers like Vic Hall
, doctors like Clyde Fenton
, scientists like Cecil Madigan
, writers like Frank Clune
and Xavier Herbert
, missionaries like Wilbur S. Chaseling, and others like Arthur Groom
and Carl Warburton.
, Colin Simpson, Joe Walker
, Syd Kyle-Little, Patsy Adam-Smith
, Max Brown
, Sidney Downer and George Farwell
.
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
from first-hand experience. This is a wide and important field of study, particularly as it frequently addresses race relations in Australia, often from a non-political point of view. Inevitably then, the Australian Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and the Aboriginal background and lifestyle is frequently used as a theme or subject, making this field of additional interest to anyone concerned about the fortunes of the First Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. In many cases, the writers listed have produced other works on the period, which can be found by following the Wikipedia links.
The following information does not contain references to Australian literature of the Colonial period, nor does it include works of pioneering days or early exploration. On the other hand, in the first part of the 20th century, much of Australia was still being explored and encounters with Aborigines who had had little or no contact or knowledge of European settlers were still taking place well after World War II.
First contact
There has been some little attempt on the part of European writers to speak up on behalf of the Aborigines, in the first person. No doubt it can be construed as a dangerous game, but one writer in particular, the Western Australian Donald StuartDonald Stuart (novelist)
Donald Stuart was an Australian novelist whose works include stories with Aboriginal backgrounds, and a series recounting his experience as a POW in Burma in World War II.-Early career:...
, has made the effort. Contact with the First Australians was never simple, and the early experience of native tribesmen and women with the new arrivals was fraught with difficulty, if not danger. Another writer who looked at this period is Brian Penton
Brian Penton
Brian Con Penton was an Australian journalist and novelist. He was born at Ascot, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland and educated at Brisbane Grammar School.-Writing career:...
, whose novel Landtakers recounts a disastrous meeting between black tribespeople and European settlers.
1900-1930
The 20th century saw the opening up of northern and western Australia, as well as the far reaches of the established colonies of New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and in 1901, the Federation of Australia
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
took place. Outback Australia
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
was still very much accessible only by horse and camel, with the latter faring far better than the former. Yet cattle and sheep were being driven north (and back south to market) in ever increasing numbers, leading to the establishment of the legendary stations of the outback, some of them to be described as “bigger than Texas.” In this period, Aborigines came to work on cattle stations in greater and greater numbers, proving themselves good horsemen and useful house servants. Indeed, a recurring theme running through much outback literature of the period is that, “the land could never have been opened up by Europeans without the help of the Aborigines.”
Writers referring to this period are necessarily more numerous, and include Mary Durack
Mary Durack
Dame Mary Durack AC DBE was an Australian author and historian. She wrote Kings in Grass Castles and Keep Him My Country.-Childhood:...
, Charles Duguid
Charles Duguid
Charles Duguid was a Scottish-born medical practitioner and Aboriginal rights campaigner who recorded his experience working among the Australian Aborigines in a number of books.-Early career:...
, A. M. Duncan-Kemp, Tom Cole, Michael Terry
Michael Terry
Michael Terry, FRGS, FRGSA was an Australian explorer, surveyor, prospector and writer.He was born at Gateshead, County Durham, England. During the First World War he served with No. 2 Squadron of the RNAS Armoured Cars in Russia against the Bolsheviks, by whom he was captured at Kursk though...
, Alfred Searcy, R. G. Kimber, Gordon Buchanan, K. Langford Smith, Louis Kaye
Louis Kaye (author)
Louis Kaye, was the pseudonym of Noel Wilson Norman , an Australian novelist and short story writer. He also published short stories under the names Grant Doyle Cooper and James Linnel....
and Ion Idriess
Ion Idriess
Ion Llewellyn Idriess, OBE was a prolific and influential Australian author. He wrote more than 50 books over 43 years between 1927 to 1969 - an average of one book every 10 months, and twice published three books in one year...
.
1931-1945
In this period, motor transportation was slowly making an impact and the main thing holding it back by the end of the period was the lack of well-made roads. In a sense, these years marked the last real period of exploration, and many an expedition into the dry lands of Central Australia in particular, was still carried out by camel. This is true of anthropologists like Charles P. MountfordCharles P. Mountford
Charles Pearcy Mountford was an Australian anthropologist and photographer. He is known for his pioneering work on indigenous Australians and his depictions and descriptions of their art.-Works:* The Art of Albert Namatjira...
, journalists like Ernestine Hill
Ernestine Hill
Ernestine Hill was an Australian journalist, travel writer and novelist.-Life:Born in Rockhampton, Queensland, Hill attended All Hallows' School in Brisbane, and then Stott & Hoare's Business College, Brisbane...
, patrol officers like Vic Hall
Vic Hall (novelist)
-Early career:Victor Charles Hall was born and educated in London, England. War broke out during his studies as an art student and he joined the British Army in 1914 and served in France until the end of the First World War. He was wounded five times and awarded the Military Medal...
, doctors like Clyde Fenton
Clyde Fenton
Dr Clyde Fenton was the Northern Territory's first flying doctor. Unlike the other doctors with the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Clyde was also his own pilot. Fenton was a self taught pilot, and flew without the aid of any navigation equipment, air charts, and often proper landing...
, scientists like Cecil Madigan
Cecil Madigan
Cecil Thomas Madigan was an Australian explorer and geologist born in Renmark, South Australia.After attending Prince Alfred College in Adelaide and the University of Adelaide, he won a Rhodes scholarship in 1911 to study geology at Magdalen College, Oxford.In 1911 he was invited by Sir Douglas...
, writers like Frank Clune
Frank Clune
Francis Patrick Clune, OBE, was a best-selling Australian author, travel writer and popular historian.-Early life and career:Frank Clune was born in Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney in 1893, and grew up in Redfern...
and Xavier Herbert
Xavier Herbert
Xavier Herbert was an Australian writer best known for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel Poor Fellow My Country . He is considered one of the elder statesmen of Australian literature...
, missionaries like Wilbur S. Chaseling, and others like Arthur Groom
Arthur Groom (Australian writer)
Arthur Groom was an Australian writer, conservationist, journalist and photographer, the son of Arthur Champion Groom.-Early career:...
and Carl Warburton.
1945-1960
The post-war period saw vastly increased development throughout the outback. The war itself had created a need for an efficient north-south axis route for troop movements, and this led to a temporary increase in the number of people living in these remote areas. Writers of this period include W. E. HarneyWilliam Edward Harney
William Edward Harney , also well-known as Bill Harney, was a largely self-educated Australian writer. Most of his early life was an itinerant one of poverty and hardship, punctuated by tragedy, spent mainly in the outback...
, Colin Simpson, Joe Walker
Joe Walker (novelist)
Joe Walker was an Australian novelist, newspaper editor and union leader.-Early career:Joseph Walker was born in Harewood, Yorkshire, England...
, Syd Kyle-Little, Patsy Adam-Smith
Patsy Adam-Smith
Patricia Jean "Patsy" Adam-Smith AO, OBE was an Australian author, historian and servicewoman. She was a prolific writer on a range of subjects covering 'history, folklore and the preservation of national traditions', and also wrote her autobiography in two parts...
, Max Brown
Max Brown (novelist)
-Early career:Max Brown was born in Invercargill, New Zealand and educated in Melbourne, Australia. He worked as a journalist in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, as well as in country towns in N.S.W. and W.A...
, Sidney Downer and George Farwell
George Farwell
George Farwell was an Australian novelist, freelance journalist, broadcaster and travel writer.-Early career:George Michell Farwell was born in Bath, Somerset, England. and educated at a number of different schools, ending with Forest School, Walthamstow, which he left at age 17...
.