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

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164 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.
CHAPTER EIGHT LITERARY ASSOCIATES “Courage! My comrades, their legions are shaken, The daylight is coming, the eagles awaken; Let us on in the tremulous breath of the dawn, On thro’ the silence of highways forsaken, We will march to the silvery gates of the morn.” Brady, “The Birth of the Morn.” 165
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A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EDWIN JAMES
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PREFACE The main collection of Brad
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2 Edwin James Brady was born at Car
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4 After days had gone, days and nig
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6 The sea was to continue top hold
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8 By the girls we love, by the God
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10 The regular Sunday night lecture
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12 The Star that I, fool, dreamed y
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14 Out of these acquaintances and f
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16 Writing sixty-eight extra column
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18 The first book of collected vers
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20 When the panoply and splendor Of
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22 Brady accepted the position grat
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24 As well as editing The Native Co
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26 Even this was a limited vacation
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28 Chapter Two - Biographical accou
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30 In answer to a letter requesting
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32 He wrote to a correspondent who
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34 As well as the verse he was writ
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36 With the approach of the depress
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38 He had samples of the ore of thi
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40 Finally he begged and borrowed e
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42 This event seems to have broken
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44 Amusingly, he regarded the black
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46 At the age of eighty-one Brady c
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48 Brady’s interest in politics w
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50 Brady, along with others, joined
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52 Of course it is possible to make
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54 The Christian gospel embodying t
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56 The excess of emotion in much of
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58 Recognising man’s fear that gr
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60 Another tale of the same period
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62 The unselfishness and self-sacri
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64 An examination of the editorials
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66 Almost all of these elements are
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68 In a further attempt to improve
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70 Comrades, be assured that what I
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72 Chapter Four Utopian theories an
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74 He was also impressed by the Jew
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76 It appears to be a case of overs
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78 The upshot of all this activity
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80 In view of the adverse position
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82 No matter what excuses Brady mad
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84 Brady has left six volumes of co
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86 Henry Lawson (“Joe Swallow”)
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88 While both Brady and Lawson sang
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90 The sea exercises a strange fasc
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92 Taking my shivering trick at the
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94 A lonely shepherd heard the clas
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96 Master! I mourned, it is so writ
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98 It is significant too, that the
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100 Even his own proclivity towards
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102 Considering the fact that many
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104 While is would be obviously imp
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106 “But in real life, my readers
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108 Where emotions are vivid, tendi
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110 The descriptions are removed fr
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112 The poet flattered and chastene
Page 118 and 119: 114 The tawdry nature of the ensuin
Page 120 and 121: 116 This is a pity, for good editin
Page 122 and 123: 118 Then it is obvious that this lo
Page 124 and 125: 120 I’ve had swagsman roast, swag
Page 126 and 127: 122 But it is in the bush-dwellers
Page 128 and 129: 124 Entertaining and beguiling as t
Page 130 and 131: 126 These two “war” serials (
Page 132 and 133: 128 After scraping the charcoal fro
Page 134 and 135: 130 As it turns out, all this is tr
Page 136 and 137: 132 For instance, Archibald’s com
Page 138 and 139: 134 There are a few incidents which
Page 140 and 141: 136 Among the earliest writings on
Page 142 and 143: 138 Although he can avoid the commo
Page 144 and 145: 140 Whether it is the picture given
Page 146 and 147: 142 The desirability of publicising
Page 148 and 149: 144 These writings won for Brady a
Page 150 and 151: 146 Chapter Seven Brady as editor a
Page 152 and 153: 148 Recognising that the author of
Page 154 and 155: 150 Another issue which was receivi
Page 156 and 157: 152 Rejecting the “moral quaranti
Page 158 and 159: 154 As he did in some of his contem
Page 160 and 161: 156 He must be able to work 23 hour
Page 162 and 163: 158 A simultaneous campaign in The
Page 164 and 165: 160 The memorial accomplished nothi
Page 166 and 167: 162 This militancy was soon followe
Page 170 and 171: 166 Quite a lot of Australian liter
Page 172 and 173: 168 His conclusion that Lawson was
Page 174 and 175: 170 Brady was in a strong position
Page 176 and 177: 172 The other poem was inspired by
Page 178 and 179: 174 But such a wish was not to be.
Page 180 and 181: 176 The work for which Quinn is rem
Page 182 and 183: 178 For aye the Bird of Fantasy San
Page 184 and 185: 180 Explaining the term to another
Page 186 and 187: 182 The same judgment which recogni
Page 188 and 189: 184 In general terms, apart from se
Page 190 and 191: 186 Having read the works of anothe
Page 192 and 193: 188 In the 1880”s and 90’s lite
Page 194 and 195: 190 his withdrawal from active poli
Page 196 and 197: 192 Whatever posterity selects from
Page 198 and 199: 194 EPILOGUE
Page 200 and 201: 196 1 Unpublished A Primary Sources
Page 202 and 203: 198 My Blackfellow Book, short stor
Page 204 and 205: 200 vii Verse. Some of the poems in
Page 206 and 207: 202 iii Introductions, Forewords, e
Page 208 and 209: 204 B Secondary Sources 1. Books Th
Page 210 and 211: 206 1V Collected material. Steve Fo
Page 212 and 213: 208 Pseudonyms Peter Amos in Truth
Page 214: 210 Appendix three Articles of Asso
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A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EDWIN JAMES BRADY - Mallacoota ...

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