Posted by Ron at 11:44 am on Thursday 16th November 2006
I have just received the following email from Philip Mead who is the co-editor of JASAL (Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature):
“Dear JASAL readers:
You will have noticed the recent press interest in the National Library’s acquisition of the Patrick White papers. Some of you may have seen the display of some items, inclduing a beanie, from the collection currently in the Library’s Visitors’ Centre.
There is a very useful finding aid for the collection, prepared by Marie-Louise Ayres and the manuscripts section, available at:
Guide to the Papers of Patrick White“
Posted by Ron at 6:59 am on Wednesday 15th November 2006
The discovery of Patrick White’s rough drafts just shows that there’s a good and bad side to everything. The five people in the world who actually read Patrick White novels will be pleased, but spare a thought for the English literature PhDs toiling away in the essay factories of India.
Complete opinion piece at The Sydney Morning Herald.
Posted by Ron at 2:21 pm on Tuesday 14th November 2006
Recently I posted about the discovery of some of Patrick White’s drafts and manuscripts which were thought to have been destroyed.
One of our members, Minnie, alerted me to a small extract titled Overheard by the vivisector from these papers which was published in the Spectrum section of last weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald (November 11-12 2006).
“In 1983, the Nobel Laureate spent several weeks listening to ABC “reddio” and television at the invitation of the broadcaster’s Standing Committee on Spoken English. His excoriating report on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, published for the first time here, is among the astonishing collection fo drafts, notebooks and manuscripts acquired last week by the National Library.”
Unfortunately the article is not available online (at least I haven’t been able to find it) but perhaps your library might have a copy if you’re interested in reading it. The article is on page 18.
Posted by Ron at 6:15 am on Tuesday 14th November 2006
Morris Lurie has been announced as the winner of the 2006 Patrick White Award.
The award is presented annually to an Australian writer of longstanding who has failed to receive their due recognition.
More at Perry Middlemiss’ Matilda.
Posted by Ron at 6:26 am on Wednesday 8th November 2006
I hope John Mendoza of Victoria doesn’t mind me republishing his letter from today’s The Age. Unfortunately letters can’t be linked to after the day they are published. I think the letter is interesting and important because Mr Mendoza has a very different outlook about Patrick White’s manuscripts, notebooks and other possessions.
THERE is something eerily disturbing with the euphoria about going through Patrick White’s private belongings. A loud moral applause propels us along deafening our hesitation as we trawl through the dead man’s remains looking at things he didn’t want us to see. “Ooh look, his beret,” we say, tossing it into the air with the wicked thrill of touching his things, touching him. I don’t think Patrick White ever wanted us to touch him.
White made a will that emphatically stated his private papers were to be destroyed, and we refused him. We refused him on the grounds that the literary agent, the biographer knows better. We, who have never written a great novel, have come to the conclusion he secretly wanted his private papers known but just couldn’t face it. We think we have helped him.
Now that we can go through his “precious” notebooks, it is argued, we can be closer to knowing his true motivations, who he really was. But do we have to be closer? White was prepared for us to know him publicly through his writing. That was the terms of his contract with society. Going through private papers is like sorting through dirty washing looking for incriminating stains.
I will never take notice of an opinion about Patrick White based on notes he didn’t want us to see because a writer writes many things, some of which are not intended to be known.
Posted by Ron at 4:24 pm on Sunday 5th November 2006
This book is one of the great rarities of Australian literature and the copy in the University of Sydney Library was thought to be the only one in existence until shortly after the author’s death in 1990, when a second copy then came to light. The work comprises, as indicated by the title, some thirteen poems, written when the author was between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, in the period 1927 to 1929.
Treasures of the Rare Book Library, University of Sydney
I would very much like to read those poems!
Posted by Ron at 6:05 am on Friday 3rd November 2006
The late novelist’s biographer David Marr discovers Patrick White’s drafts and manuscripts are alive and well - and about to be made public.
THE old bastard. Patrick White told the world over and over again that none of this existed. “Don’t bother hunting for drafts and manuscripts,” he snapped when I asked him years ago. “They’ve all gone into the pit.”
Read the complete article at The Sydney Morning Herald
And a related article: A secret life of love, loss and stroganoff
(Cross-posted at Waddayareckon?)
Posted by Ron at 10:18 am on Monday 16th October 2006
Where everyone is welcome to discuss anything to do with Patrick White - his novels, biographies, the unfortunate loss of his house to our literary history etc.
Apart from the possibility of some interesting discussions, I hope this post will also help us to keep our community going until next year when we read another Patrick White novel together.
So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine or whatever else is your pleasure and join in. I would like to think that on this site we can do our little bit to keep the literary legacy of Patrick White alive.
Posted by Zoe at 1:52 pm on Wednesday 20th September 2006
The Institute of Public Affairs describes itself as Australia’s “leading free market think tank”. One is prompted by their latest publication to wonder just how crowded the field of Australian free market think tanks is, and the benefits that might flow to the sector from some stiff competition.
The IPA has just published a list of “Australia’s 13 biggest mistakes”. You might be surprised to learn that the 12th most terrible thing to have happened to Australia is the awarding of the 1972 Nobel Prize for Literature to Patrick White. This is even more terrible than the establishment of Canberra, but not quite as terrible as the introduction of the cane toad.
The problem with the Nobel Prize is that it led to the formation of the Australia Council the following year. (Just like that!) The inevitable decline began after “The AusLit racket was formed and soon established the self-reinforcing pattern of grants, favourable reviews and appointments, which ensures political correctness is more important than ability.”
Unsurprising then that the “heirs” of the Racketeers are the ones responsible for rejecting part of Eye of the Storm when presented as an unsolicited manuscript. Yes, it really does say that - and that’s not the most stupid part, either.
There is a PDF of the full spittle flecked list here, or you can find a copy under the fold if you prefer to avoid crashing your browser.
Updated: If you’re keen to hear the Chief Pompous Asshat and Editor Pompous Asshat attempt to justify their choice, the Counterpoint broadcast that Laura mentions in comments can be heard here. Unfortunately it’s audio only with no transcript available - but at least that means someone’s been spared having to transcribe Counterpoint ; )
(Continued)
Posted by Ron at 6:56 am on Tuesday 19th September 2006
Patrick White Miscellanea:
Not The Vivisector but this Radio National program yesterday on White’s The Tree of Man was very interesting:
“At various times this week and all over the weekend, Radio National programs are looking back fifty years to 1956. Of course it was the first year of television in Australia, also the year of the Melbourne Olympics, and a big year on the international stage, with the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Uprising changing the political landscape briefly, or for good. In The Book Show this week we’ll take a look at a few landmarks in the world of books and publishing. Today, we’re starting with The Tree of Man, Patrick White’s novel published in Australia in 1956. Richard Buckham looks at one famously critical response to book from the poet AD Hope, and how White continues to make news.”
Download or listen to the audio from this program at Radio National. (The Patrick White part is the second half of the audio.)
AD Hope’s original review of The Tree of Man