Bruce Victor Beaver (14 February 1928 – 17 February 2004) was an Australian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and novelist.

Biography

Beaver was born in

Manly, New South Wales Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is north-east of the Sydney central business district and is currently one of the three administrative centres of the Local government in Australia ...

. He was educated at the Manly Public School and at the

Sydney Boys' High School , motto_translation = With Truth and Courage , established = , location = Cleveland Street, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pu ...

. He worked at a number of jobs, as a cow farmer, in radio, as a wages clerk, a surveyor's labourer, fruit-picker, proof-reader and journalist, before deciding to write full-time. From 1958 to 1962, he lived in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

. In 1961 Beaver's first book of poetry was published. He wrote his first poem in response to the dropping of the atomic bomb at

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

, and continued to write even while working as a labourer. Thanks to his marriage, he was able to become a full-time writer. Even though he suffered from

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

, Beaver was able to continue writing until close to his death in 2004. When asked to list their favourite books,

Dorothy Porter Dorothy Featherstone Porter (26 March 1954 – 10 December 2008) was an Australian poet. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in poetry. Early life Porter was born in Sydney. Her father was barrister ...

named Bruce Beaver and is quoted as saying:

Awards

* 1970:

Grace Leven Prize for Poetry The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry was an annual poetry award in Australia, given in the name of Grace Leven who died in 1922. It was established by William Baylebridge who "made a provision for an annual poetry prize in memory of 'my benefactress ...

(for ''Letters to Live Poets'') * 1982:

Patrick White Award The Patrick White Award is an annual literary prize established by Patrick White. White used his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature award to establish a trust for this prize. The $25,000 cash award is given to a writer who has been highly creative o ...

* 1990:

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

(Special Award) *1991:

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

* 1995:

C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry The Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry, formerly known as the C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an enumeration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vies w ...

(for ''Anima and Other Poems'')

Bibliography

Poetry

* ''Under the Bridge'' (1961) Sydney: Beaujon Press. * ''Seawall and Shoreline'' (1964) Sydney: South Head Press. * ''Open at Random'' (1967) Sydney: South Head Press. * '' Letters to Live Poets'' (1969) Sydney: South Head Press. * ''Lauds and plaints : poems (1968-1972)'' (1974) Sydney: South Head Press. * ''Odes and Days'' (1975) Sydney: South Head Press. * ''Death's Directives'' (1978) Sydney. New Poetry/Prism Books. * ''Headlands: Prose sketches'' (1986) St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press. * ''Charmed lives'' (1988) St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press. * ''New and Selected Poems 1960-1990'' (1991) St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press. * ''Anima and Other Poems'' (1994) St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press. * ''Poets and others'' (1999) Sydney: Brandl & Schlesinger. * ''The Long Game and Other Poems'' (2005) St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press.
review

Autobiography

*''As it was ... '' (1979) St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press.

Novels

* ''The Hot Summer'' (1963) Sydney: Horwitz. * ''Hot Sands'' (1964) Sydney: Horwitz. * ''The Hot Men'' (1965) Sydney: Horwitz. * ''The Hot Spring'' (1965) Sydney: Horwitz. * ''You Can't Come Back'' (1966) Adelaide: Rigby.

Notes

External links

InterviewObituary Obituary
by Robert Savage
Obituary, The Age
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaver, Bruce Victor 1928 births 2004 deaths Australian male novelists Writers from Sydney People with bipolar disorder People educated at Sydney Boys High School Patrick White Award winners People from Manly, New South Wales 20th-century Australian poets Australian male poets Australian Book Review people 20th-century Australian male writers Members of the Order of Australia