Xavier herbert biography
Xavier Herbert
Australian writer (–)
Xavier Herbert | |
|---|---|
On 1 April , the day he received news of winning the Sesquicentenary Library Prize | |
| Born | Alfred Jackson ()15 May Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia |
| Died | 10 November () (aged&#;83) Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Pen name | Xavier Herbert, E.
Norden, Herbert Astor[1] |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | Australian |
Xavier Herbert (born Alfred Jackson; 15 May &#;&#; 10 November ) was an Australian writer best known for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel Poor Fellow My Country ().
He was considered one of the elder statesmen of Australian literature. He is also known for short story collections and his autobiography Disturbing Element.[1][2]
Life and career
Herbert was born Alfred Jackson in Geraldton, Western Australia, in , the illegitimate son of Amy Victoria Scammell and Benjamin Francis Herbert, a Welsh-born engine driver.
He was registered at birth as Alfred Jackson, son of John Jackson, auctioneer, with whom his mother had already had two children.
Xavier herbert biography wikipedia Xavier Herbert literary criticism [ edit ]. For further information please contact NPG Copyright. Herbert, however, was ill-prepared for fame. De Groen is unflinching in examining the negative, the bigoted, the unpleasant elements of Herbert's life.Before writing he worked many jobs in Western Australia and Victoria; his first job was in a pharmacy at the age of fourteen. He studied pharmacy at Perth Technical College and was registered as a pharmacist on 21 May as Alfred Xavier Herbert. He moved to Melbourne, and in enrolled at the University of Melbourne to study medicine.
He started his writing career writing short stories for the popular magazine and newspaper market, publishing under a range of pseudonyms, the most common being Herbert Astor.[2]
He did not publish his first book, Capricornia, until Capricornia was in part based on Herbert's experiences as Protector of Aborigines in Darwin, though it was written in London between and It won the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for Australia's Best Novel of [3]
The s and s were a relatively lean time for Herbert in terms of publication.
He released Seven Emus ().[1][2] In the s he published two books, before the release of Poor Fellow My Country (), as well as a short story collection. Poor Fellow My Country is the longest Australian novel.[4]
Herbert was well known for his outspoken views on indigenous issues.
Xavier herbert biography book: Archived from the original on 3 March In Herbert and Sadie settled at Redlynch, near Cairns. Retrieved 12 July Having written little in the s and s, and his autobiography Disturbing Element in , he made his name with Poor Fellow My Country , which won the Miles Franklin Award and still holds the record for the longest Australian novel.
He was a great champion of Aboriginal peoples,[4][5] particularly those living in missions in Queensland and the Northern Territory. In his personal life he was considered difficult, and his wife Sadie said it was a choice between having children and looking after Xavier.[4] Aware of his own mythology, he frustrated biographers by telling unreliable stories about his life and past.[2]
In the artist Ray Crooke painted a Portrait of Xavier Herbert followed in by a Portrait of Sadie Herbert.
Professor Emeritus Laurie Hergenhan discussed the story behind the creation of these artworks, and another portrait by Crooke of Sir Zelman Cowen, in "A Tale of Three Portraits."[6]
Final years and death
By , the widowed Herbert was working on a new novel, "Me and My Shadow" and took a two-month tour of his birth state, Western Australia, in to gather material for the book.[7] On 15 January , at age 83, he left his home in Redlynch, Queensland for the last time to drive in his Land Rover into the centre of the country, the Northern Territory.
He travelled 2,&#;km to his destination: Alice Springs.
Xavier herbert biography The only caveat isn't a bad thing, it just needs to be mentioned. Life and career [ edit ]. Generally written to a formula of colonial romance and adventure, or crime and mystery, for the popular magazine and newspaper market, they were published under a range of pseudonyms, the most common being Herbert Astor. Select Bibliography R.In June , Herbert refused to accept an award of the Order of Australia from the Hawke government, on the grounds that it was a British Empire honour rather than a nationalist Australian one.[8]
In September, Herbert was treated for skin grafts on his leg and carpal tunnel syndrome in Alice Springs, where he was visited by the artist Sidney Nolan and his wife Mary.
After his treatment, Herbert moved in temporarily with his doctor, Charles Butcher, and Butcher's family, where he would live for the remaining weeks of his life.[9]
Herbert died on 10 November from kidney failure. He was commemorated by the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, as "a prodigiously committed Australian".[10] He was buried in Alice Springs, together with his wife's ashes, in a ceremony officiated by Aboriginal activist Pat Dodson in recognition of Herbert's long support for the rights of Aboriginal Australians.[11][12]
Published works
Novels
Short story collections
- Larger than Life ()
- South of Capricornia () – Edited by Russel McDougal
- Xavier Herbert () – Edited by Frances de Groen and Peter Pierce
Non-fiction
References
- ^ abc"Xavier Herbert".
AustLit.
- Item 2 of 10
- Item 1 of 10
- Biography - Albert Francis Xavier Herbert - Australian ...
- Item 8 of 10
Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Archived from the original on 21 February Retrieved 17 July
- ^ abcdMcDougall, Russell (). "Herbert, Albert Francis Xavier (–)". Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Vol.&#; Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing. Archived from the original on 11 May Retrieved 17 July
- ^"Prize for Best Novel" The Argus, 19 March , p1
- ^ abc""Xavier Herbert" ABC Retrieved 12 July ". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Archived from the original on 3 March Retrieved 31 January
- ^31 May (31 May ). "Remembering Herbert"Archived 12 January at the Wayback Machine. Eureka Street. Retrieved 12 July
- ^Hergenhan, Laurie (July ). "A Tale of Three Portraits"(PDF). Fryer Folios: 7–9. Archived(PDF) from the original on 7 February Retrieved 3 December
- ^De Groen, Frances ().Xavier herbert biography wife Great stuff. From to he lived in Darwin. His signature books, Capricornia and Poor Fellow My country , were to change the face of Australian novel writing. He died on 10 November that year at Alice Springs and was buried in the local cemetery after a funeral ceremony at which Kungarakany elders and Patrick Dodson, an Aboriginal former Catholic priest, officiated.
Xavier Herbert. University of Queensland Press. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
- ^De Groen, p
- ^De Groen , p
- ^De Groen , p.
- ^"OBITUARY". The Canberra Times. 12 November p.&#;7.
- Xavier herbert biography book
- Xavier herbert biography death
- Xavier herbert biography net worth
Retrieved 3 December &#; via National Library of Australia.
- ^De Groen , p
- ^"The Sydney Morning Herald – Google News Archive". 28 April Retrieved 23 March
- ^"His country". 28 November Retrieved 31 January
- ^Herbert, Xavier (). Francis de Groen; Laurie Hergenhan (eds.).
Letters. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
Xavier herbert biography husband This is a thrilling and exhaustive biography of a great, though intensely problematic, Australian author. Retrieved 3 December In September, Herbert was treated for skin grafts on his leg and carpal tunnel syndrome in Alice Springs, where he was visited by the artist Sidney Nolan and his wife Mary. Once the Australian Journal had accepted some of his short stories for publication he withdrew from the course.Retrieved 19 August
- ^Hayes, Peggy. Letters from Xavier Herbert, – [manuscript]. National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October Retrieved 19 August