Arthur Patchett Martin (18 February 1851 – 15 February 1902), was an Australian writer and literary critic. Martin was born in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, the son of George Martin and his wife Eleanor, ''née'' Hill. The family migrated to Australia in 1852, arriving in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

that Christmas. Martin was educated at St Mark's School, Fitzroy and later matriculated at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

in February 1868. Martin worked in the post office from 1865 to 1883; however he was also a casual writer in this period. Having established the ''Melbourne Review'' with

Henry Gyles Turner Henry Gyles Turner (12 December 1831 – 30 November 1920), commonly referred to as "Gyles Turner" was a notable Australian banker and historian. Turner was born at Kensington, London. He was educated at the Poland-street academy and at 15 yea ...

in 1876, Martin edited the publication for six years. Martin was a member of the Eclectic Association, fellow members included

Theodore Fink Theodore Fink (3 July 1855 – 25 April 1942) was an Australian politician, newspaper proprietor and educationist. Early life Fink was born in Guernsey on the Channel Islands, the son of Moses Fink, a shopkeeper, and his wife Gertrude, ''née'' A ...

, Arthur Topp,

Alfred Deakin Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...

and David Mickle. In 1883 Martin moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

amid controversy in a divorce case; he became a journalist and wrote regularly for the ''

Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...

''. Martin was the satirist of the 'Australasian Group' - who regarded themselves as exiles - but retained an interest in Australian literature and other affairs. One of Martin's most solid achievements was the publication of a work entitled "Australia and the Empire", specially dedicated to the First Lord of the Treasury, Mr. Balfour. The opening essay in this work, entitled "Robert Lowe in Sydney," formed the nucleus of the undertaking on which Martin later worked on—the complete political biography of Lord Sherbrooke. Among other literary efforts in London may be mentioned "Oak-bough and Wattle-blossom," the first of those collective stories by "Australians in England" of which there are now quite a series. "Over-the-Sea Stories for the Children of Two Worlds" a profusely illustrated gift-book, is also a collection by Martin. Martin married a widow, Harriette Anne Bullen (daughter of Dr John Moore Cookesley) on 11 January 1886 in London. Together they wrote verse and organised the publications of expatriate Australians in various periodicals. Martin's health deteriorated and he moved to

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the Archipelago, archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitant ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

where he died on 15 February 1902. A sister, Letitia Hill Martin, who was also an accomplished writer, married the theatrical impresario

Arthur Garner Arthur Garner (born 8 February 1851) was a theatrical entrepreneur, active in Australia. He was part of the partnership often dubbed "the Triumvirate" at the time, Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove, between 1881 and 1890. Background Garner was bo ...

Bibliography

* ''Sweet Girl Graduate'' (1876) * ''Lays of To-day: Verses in Jest and Earnest'' (1878) * ''Fernshawe: Sketches in Prose and Verse'' (1882) * ''Australia and the Empire'' (1889) * ''True Stories from Australasian History'' (1893) * ''Life and Letters of the Right Honourable Robert Lowe, Viscount Sherbrooke'' (1893) * ''The Withered Jester and Other Verses'' (1895) * ''The Beginnings of an Australian Literature'' (London, 1898)

External links

Poems of Arthur Patchett Martin
at PoemHunter

References

*Suzanne G. Mellor,
Martin, Arthur Patchett (1851 - 1902)
, ''

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 5, MUP, 1974, pp 215–216. Retrieved 2 October 2013 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Arthur Patchett 1851 births 1902 deaths Australian non-fiction writers Australian poets 19th-century poets Australian literary critics