A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EDWIN JAMES BRADY - Mallacoota ...

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Of Gilbert Murray Brady wrote: “As a life-long advocate of peace, of the arbitrament
of reason rather than brute force among the world’s nations, his has been a name held
in international respect.” 1 Referring to these men and to Lawrence Hargrave Brady
added that while unknown to the majority of their countrymen, they are much more
important than “the Tichborne claimant, the Kelly Gang, or even the owners of
Melbourne Cup winners.”
Literary issues of the day were always grist for Brady’s mill. When Hartley Grattan
stated Australia’s need of “an authoritative critic” Brady heartily agreed, but
cautioned that he would need, as part of his qualifications, Ned Kelly armour, an
Alsatian dog and a gun for defence from other critics and writers, who were
penniless. 2 He also attempted to surmise why there was such a high mortality rate for
Australia’s little magazines, concluding that an endemic disease carried by the horse
on race-tracks was the cause; 3 he sincerely believed that Australians would rather
spend money on racing and drinking than on cultural activities and the present
situation has not greatly changed. Ever he considered his country’s welfare in his
contricutions.
Brady continued to write for Focus as a contributor and to give general advice to
Mendelsohn through regular correspondence until the magazine ceased publication in
May 1946. Its demise was unfortunate for it served a useful purpose, as Brady had
earlier remarked:
I have come to the conclusion that the promise contained in its present
contents entitles it to a firm establishment In this barbarian country we have
so few periodicals appealing to the human intelligence, so few publications
devoted to anything except the further debasement of the public mind, that a
magazine with some decent leanings deserves to survive. 4
But Focus, in spite of its deservings, died; with it went Brady’s last close connection
with magazines. Further contributions were made to various publications. But
Brady’s journalistic and literary career was well and truly over by this time; failing
health left him with no real regrets about its demise. He remained bitter till the end
however, about the community’s attitudes to writers. Deploring their general
financial lack, he wrote to Muir Holburn in 1949; “Did you ever reflect that after all
Jesus only spent a few hours on the cross? Whereas the average creative artist is
nailed to it for a lifetime!” 5 A literary life had indeed taken its toll and a poignancy
remained.
1 “Some Great Australiana: The Second Period”, Focus, December 1947, p.25.
2 “Australian Literature: The Hartley Grattan Solution”, Focus, October, 1947, pp.9-10.
3 “Australian ‘Little’ Magazines”, Focus, April 1948, p.7.
4 Letter from Brady published in Focus, December-January 1946-47 issue, p.39.
5 Brady to Muir Holburn, 27.4.1949, in Mitchell Library.