Nancy May McDonald (25 December 1921 – 7 January 1974) was an Australian poet and editor.
Biography
Nancy May McDonald was born in
Eastwood, New South Wales
Eastwood is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Eastwood is located 17 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government areas of the City of Ryde and the City of Parramatta. Eastwood is in the Northern Sydney re ...
, 25 December 1921. She attended
Hornsby Girls' High School
Hornsby Girls' High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for girls, located in Hornsby, a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1930, the school' ...
(1934–38), and studied at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...
(B.A., 1943). She worked as an editor for
Angus and Robertson, where she specialized in Australian literature, with colleagues such as
Alec Bolton
Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include:
People
*Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat
* Alec Acton (1938– ...
,
Beatrice Davis and
Douglas Stewart Douglas Stewart may refer to:
*Douglas Stewart (poet) (1913–1985), Australian poet
*Edward Askew Sothern (1826–1881), English actor who was sometimes known as Douglas Stewart
* Douglas Stewart (equestrian) (1913–1991), British Olympic equestri ...
. In 1953 she edited the annual ''Anthology of Australian Poetry''. She first published in 1947; a review of the collection, ''
Pacific Sea'', called her work "essentially Australian" and praised her "exquisite precision". Her poems have also been called "sombre and deathward-drawn". McDonald died aged 52 of cancer on 7 January 1974.
An
__Awards_and_honours_
McDonald_contributed_to_the_school_magazine_at_Hornsby_Girls'_High_School_
Hornsby_Girls'_High_School_is_a__government-funded__single-sex__academically_selective__secondary_day_school_for_girls,_located_in__Hornsby,_a_suburb_on_the__Upper_North_Shore_of__Sydney,_New_South_Wales,_Australia._Founded_in_1930,_the_school'_...
,_twice_winning_the_school's_Ethel_Turner.html" ;"title="obituary'' in the ''Australian Author'' noted R. D. Fitzgerald's description of McDonald as "the tranquil Australian poet". Several sources record that McDonald's work has yet to be assessed from a critical perspective.
, twice winning the school's Ethel Turner">Ethel Curlewis (née Turner) prize for verse.
Her first published collection of poetry, ''
'' (1947)
* ''The Lonely Fire'', Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1954
* ''The Lighthouse and Other Poems'', Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1959
* ''Selected Poems: Nan McDonald'', Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1969
* ''Burn to Billabong: Macdonald Clansfolk in Australia 1788-1988'', Sydney, Portofino Design Group, 1988
* ''For Prisoners: An Unpublished Poem'', Canberra, Brindabella Press, 1995