Edward Vivian "Vance" Palmer (28 August 1885 – 15 July 1959) was an Australian novelist, dramatist, essayist and critic.

Early life

Vance Palmer was born in

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The B ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, on 28 August 1885 and attended the

Ipswich Grammar School , motto_translation = Work and Honour , address = Darling Street , city = Ipswich , state = Queensland , postcode = 4305 , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boa ...

. With no university in Queensland, he studied contemporary Australian writing at the intellectual hub in Brisbane at the time, the School of Arts, following the work of

A. G. Stephens Alfred George Stephens (28 August 1865 – 15 April 1933), commonly referred to as A. G. Stephens, was an Australian writer and literary critic, notably for ''The Bulletin (Australian periodical), The Bulletin''. He was appointed to that posit ...

.Australian Dictionary of Biography - Palmer, Edward Vivian (Vance) (1885–1959) by Geoffrey Serle
/ref> Working in various jobs, he took a position as a tutor at Abbieglassie cattle station, west of Brisbane in the 'back of beyond'. He also worked as a manager: at that time there was a large Aboriginal population with whom he both worked and celebrated, attending their frequent

corroborree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the ...

s. It was here his love of the land and environmental awareness was honed, so too his interest in white black relationships. From his early years he was determined to be a writer, and in 1905 and again in 1910 he went to London, then the centre of Australia's cultural universe, to learn his craft and advance his prospects. He was acknowledged as an expert on foreign affairs – in Mexico and Ireland. His association with Alfred Orage and his work for ''

The New Age ''The New Age'' was a British weekly magazine (1894–1938), inspired by Fabian socialism, and credited as a major influence on literature and the arts during its heyday from 1907 to 1922, when it was edited by Alfred Richard Orage. It publishe ...

'' and other

guild socialists Guild socialism is a political movement advocating workers' control of industry through the medium of trade-related guilds "in an implied contractual relationship with the public". It originated in the United Kingdom and was at its most influent ...

greatly influenced his political outlook. Palmer met his future wife, Janet (Nettie) Higgins, in Melbourne in 1909. They were married in London in 1914 and were on holiday in France when

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

broke out. They went back to London where their elder daughter Aileen was born in 1915. Later that year, they returned to Australia and settled in Melbourne. Their second daughter,

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

, was born there in 1917. Vance and Nettie campaigned against the

Hughes Hughes may refer to: People * Hughes (surname) * Hughes (given name) Places Antarctica * Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency * Mount Hughes, Oates Land * Hughes Basin, Oates Land * Hughes Bay, Graham Land * Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...

government's attempt to introduce

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...

into Australia. In 1918, Palmer enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and was sent back to Europe, but the war ended before he saw service. He was discharged from the army late in 1919.

Writing career and later life

Both Vance and Nettie had begun to publish poetry, short stories, criticism and journalism before the war, but in the 1920s, living in the fishing village of

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ...

, to save money, they dedicated themselves to literature full-time. Palmer published his first novel in 1920, and a well-received play, ''The Black Horse'', in 1924. His best novels of this period were ''The Man Hamilton'' (1928), ''Men Are Human'' (1930), ''

The Passage Passage, The Passage or Le Passage may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Passage'' (2008 film), a documentary about Arctic explorers * ''Passage'' (2009 film), a short movie about three sisters * ''The Passage'' (1979 film), starring ...

'' (1930) and ''The Swayne Family'' (1934). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Vance and Nettie were strongly opposed to the advent of fascism, whether in Australia or overseas. Because they had witnessed the loss of democratic rights during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

their work was to strengthen the Australian belief in egalitarianism. Palmer published a series of historical and biographical works: ''National Portraits'' (1941), ''A G Stephens: His Life and Work'' (1941), ''Frank Wilmot'' (1942) and ''Louis Esson and the Australian Theatre'' (1948). In the postwar years Palmer wrote a trilogy – ''Golconda'' (1948), ''Seedtime'' (1957) and ''

The Big Fellow ''The Big Fellow'' is a 1937 biography of the famed Irish leader, Michael Collins, by Frank O'Connor. ''The Big Fellow'' covers the period of Collins's life from the Easter Rising in 1916 to his death during the Irish Civil War in 1922. Unlik ...

'' (1959), based loosely on the life of the Queensland politician

Ted Theodore Edward Granville Theodore (29 December 1884 – 9 February 1950) was an Australian politician who served as Premier of Queensland from 1919 to 1925, as leader of the state Labor Party. He later entered federal politics, serving as Treasurer in ...

. The trilogy met a poor critical reception. While today his novels are out of print, many of his short stories are still read and reissued. ''The Big Fellow'' won him a posthumous

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1 ...

. In 1954 Palmer published ''The Legend of the Nineties'', a critical study of the development of the nationalist tradition in Australian literature usually associated with '' The Bulletin''. This is perhaps his best-remembered work. Vance and Nettie were remembered by those who knew them for their great compassion and generosity. They were instrumental in the recognition of Australian literature as a subject worthy of serious study and teaching in the academy. During the last decades of his life Vance is remembered for his regular radio broadcasts on books and writing.NAA: MT395/1, ABC Radio talk scripts, 1 January 1940 – 31 December 1944
/ref> Vance and Nettie's last years were clouded by their own ill health and by worry about their daughter Aileen, who suffered a mental breakdown in 1948 and became an alcoholic. A member of the advisory board for the early Australia Council Palmer was attacked as a Communist "fellow traveler" (which to some extent he was) during the

McCarthyist McCarthyism is the practice of making false or unfounded accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to anarchism, communism and socialism, and especially when done in a public and attention-grabbing manner. The term origina ...

period of the 1950s, but his integrity was recognised by the deeply conservative Prime Minister of that era, Sir Robert Menzies. Vance died from heart disease in 1959. The

Victorian Premier's Literary Award The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...

for fiction is named the

Vance Palmer Prize The Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an remuneration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vi ...

, while the prize for non-fiction is the

Nettie Palmer Prize The Victorian Premier's Prize for Nonfiction, formerly known as the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has a remuneration of 25,000. The winner of this category p ...

(until 2010 when under the stewardship of the

Wheeler Centre The Wheeler Centre, originally Centre of Books, Writing and Ideas, is a literary and publishing centre founded as part of Melbourne's bid to be a Unesco Creative City of Literature, which designation it earned in 2008. It is named after its pat ...

they were renamed as Victorian Premier's Prizes).

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Shantykeeper's Daughter'' (1920) * ''The Boss of Killara'' (1922) * ''The Enchanted Island : A Novel'' (1923) * ''The Outpost'' (1924) * ''Cronulla : A Story of Station Life'' (1924) * ''Secret Harbor'' (1925) * ''Spinifex'' (1927) * ''The Man Hamilton'' (1928) * ''Men Are Human'' (1930) * ''

'' (1930) * ''Daybreak'' (1932) * ''The Swayne Family'' (1934) * ''Legend For Sanderson'' (1937) * ''Cyclone'' (1947) * ''Golconda'' (1948) * ''Seedtime'' (1957) * ''

'' (1959)

Short story collections

* ''The World of Men'' (1915) * ''Separate Lives'' (1931) * ''Sea and Spinifex'' (1934) * ''Let the Birds Fly'' (1955) * ''The Rainbow-Bird and Other Stories'' (1957) compiled by Allan Edwards * ''The Brand of the Wild and Early Sketches'' (2002)

Poetry collections

* ''The Forerunners'' (1915) * ''The Camp'' (1920)

Poetry anthology

* ''Old Australian Bush Ballads'' (1950) with Margaret Sutherland (composer)

Drama

* ''The Black Horse and Other Plays'' (1924)

Non-fiction

* ''National Portraits'' (1940) * ''A.G. Stephens : His Life and Work'' by

(1941) edited by Vance Palmer * ''Louis Esson and the Australian Theatre'' by

Louis Esson Thomas Louis Buvelot Esson (10 August 1878 – 27 November 1943) was an Australian poet, journalist, critic and playwright. He was a co-founder of the Pioneer Players. His second wife, Hilda Esson (nee Bull), had a career in theatre besides work ...

, edited by Vance Palmer (1948) * ''The Legend of the Nineties'' (1954) * ''Intimate Portraits and Other Pieces : Essays and Articles'' (1969) compiled by Harry Payne Heseltine * ''Letters of Vance and Nettie Palmer 1915-1963'' (1977). Edited by Vivian Smith.

References

External links

Roger Osborne 'Vance Palmer, Short Fiction and Australian Magazine Culture in the 1920s' ''JASAL'' 6 (2007)

Deborah Jordan 'All that my love and I/Strive till after we die': The Courtship Letters of Vance and Nettie Palmer, 1909–1914 ''JASAL'' 8 (2008)

Vance Palmer (1885-1959)
OzLitGuide, Chapter 17. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Vance 1885 births 1959 deaths Australian biographers Male biographers Australian essayists Male essayists Miles Franklin Award winners People from Bundaberg 20th-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian non-fiction writers 20th-century Australian poets ALS Gold Medal winners Australian male poets Australian male novelists 20th-century essayists Heide Circle 20th-century Australian male writers 20th-century Australian journalists Australian literary critics Writers from Queensland