William Baylebridge
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William Baylebridge (12 December 1883 – 7 May 1942), born Charles William Blocksidge, was an Australian writer, poet, and political theorist. Baylebridge was born in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
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 , established_ ...
, the son of George Henry Blocksidge. He studied at
Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ci ...
, then under a private tutor, the classicist David Owen. In 1908, he sailed to London with his friend (and future brother-in-law) Robert Graham Brown. He travelled extensively throughout the Continent, absorbing much of the intellectual milieu of that period. At that same time, he published several volumes of juvenilia, starting with ''Songs o’ the South'' in 1908, which was published by the secularist
Charles Albert Watts Charles Albert Watts (27 May 1858 – 15 May 1946) was an English secularist editor and publisher. He founded the journal ''Watts's Literary Guide'', which later became the ''New Humanist'' magazine, and the Rationalist Press Association. ...
. These early works were generally poorly received, and later, in order to dissociate himself from the embarrassment of having produced them, Blocksidge adopted the name ‘William Baylebridge’, both personally and professionally, in around 1925. While living in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Baylebridge also published his earliest statements of
fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
political theory, in both verse and aphoristic prose. These works were ''The New Life'' (1910) and ''National Notes'' (1913), both of which advanced a form of proto-fascism he called the ‘New Nationalism’, thus preceding the Italian movement by several years. In this regard, he was influenced primarily by British interpreters of
Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...
, particularly the British eugenicists, notably John Davidson and
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
, as well as the Italian writer and revolutionary Gabriele D’Annunzio. He remained in Europe until 1919. When he returned to Australia in 1919, after over a decade abroad, he quickly moved to
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, where he divided his time between the city and a cottage in
Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...
. That same year, he released his first Australian publication, ''Selected Poems'', which was published in Brisbane by Gordon & Gotch, partly through the help of a circle of Melbourne writers which included
Nettie Palmer Janet Gertrude "Nettie" Palmer (née Higgins) (18 August 1885 – 19 October 1964) was an Australian poet, essayist and Australia's leading literary critic of her day. She corresponded with women writers and collated the Centenary Gift Book which ...
and
Frank Wilmot Frank Leslie Thomson Wilmot (6 April 1881 – 22 February 1942), who published his work under the pseudonym Furnley Maurice, was a noted Australian poet, best known for ''To God: From the Warring Nations'' (1917). Early life Wilmot was a son of H ...
. Shortly afterwards, he published his first novel, ''An Anzac Muster'' (1921), in London, possibly—as with his other English publications—with the help of a relative, the printer Edwin Blocksidge (''Daily Telegraph'', 3 November 1934, pp. 5). For the rest of his life, Baylebridge consciously cultivated the air of a mysterious and reclusive prophet-poet. This involved not only the archaic style of his poetry and prose, but also his eschewing of all forms of conventional publicity. He rarely published in anthologies; he refused to sit for portraits (despite several offers); he also refused, when asked, to speak at public events. Though he was considered one of the premier poets of his day, critical opinion of Baylebridge has since waned considerably. On balance, the critic Firmin McKinnon probably put it best: " aylebridge'soutstanding fault is his obscurity, much of which, one fears, was deliberate and artificial. That is a pity for unquestionably he had poetic genius. Because of his affectation and obscurity his poetry will remain only for that select few who are willing to plod their way across tedious stretches of aridity in the hope of finding a few rare exotic blooms in places unfrequented by the ordinary seeker of Truth and Beauty." Baylebridge died on 7 May 1942. He is buried in South Head Cemetery. He never married and had no children.


Bibliography

*''Songs o' the South'' (1908) *''Australia to England and other verses'' (1909) *''Moreton Miles'' (1910) *''Southern Songs'' (1910) *''A Northern Trail'' (1910) *''The New Life: A National Tract (to the men of Australia)'' (1910) *''National Notes'' (1913) *''Life's Testament: Songs from the Hill of the seven echoes'' (1914) *''Seven Tales'' (1916) *''A Wreath'' (1916) *''Selected Poems'' (1919) *''An Anzac Muster'' (1921) *''National Notes'' (Second ed.) (1922) *''Love Redeemed'' (1934) *''National Notes'' (Third ed.) (1936) *''Life's Testament'' (Second ed.) (1939) *''Sextains'' (1939) *''This Vital Flesh'' (1939) - Awarded the 1940
ALS Gold Medal The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (ALS Gold Medal) is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the ...
*''Moreton Miles'' (Second ed.) (1941) *''This Vital Flesh'' (1961) - Collected Works Volume 1 *''An Anzac Muster'' (Second ed.) (1962) - Collected Works Volume 2 *''The Growth of Love'' (1963) - Collected Works Volume 3 *''Salvage'' (1964) - Collected Works Volume 4


References

*Bonnin, Nancy.
Baylebridge, William (1883 - 1942)
, ''
Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
'', Volume 7, MUP, 1979, pp 218–219. *Davison, Graeme (ed.). ''The Oxford Companion to Australian History'' (rev. ed., 2001: Oxford, Oxford University Press). *Jupp, James (ed.). ''The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, its People and their Origins'' (2nd ed., 2001: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press). *Keri, Adrian (Adrian Keri). ''Australian Literary Fascists, 1905-1945: A Comparative Case Study into the Development of Fascist Ideology in Australia''. University of Notre Dame Australia, 2021. *Macainsh, Noel. ''Nietzsche in Australia: A Literary Inquiry into a Nationalistic Ideology'' (Munich, 1976). *Miller, E. Morris, & Frederick T. Macartney. ''Australian Literature'' (1956, revised edition) Angus and Robertson, Sydney, pp. 53–55 *Roberts, Neil (ed.). ''A Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry'' (2001: Oxford, Blackwell). * Additional sources listed by the ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'': *H. A. Kellow, ''Queensland Poets'' (Lond, 1930); T. I. Moore, ''Six Australian Poets'' (Melb, 1942); C. H. Hadgraft, ''Queensland and its Writers'' (Brisb, 1959); Southerly, 16 (1955), 35 (1975); ''Australian Literary Studies'', 7 (1975-76), no 2; ''Quadrant'', Mar-Apr 1975; ''Westerly'', Mar 1975; ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 19 Jan 1935, 17 Oct 1936, 4 May 1940, 16 May 1942, 22 May 1943; ''The Bulletin'', 10 Aug 1938; W. Baylebridge manuscripts (State Library of New South Wales); H. M. Green manuscripts (National Library of Australia); Vance and Nettie Palmer papers (National Library of Australia); P. R. Stephensen correspondence (State Library of New South Wales) {{DEFAULTSORT:Baylebridge, William 1883 births 1942 deaths Australian male short story writers 20th-century Australian poets Australian male poets ALS Gold Medal winners 20th-century Australian short story writers 20th-century Australian male writers