Miles Franklin Literary Award
2 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1957) Winner
-
Edition 5 (1961) Winner
Patrick White
パトリック・ホワイト
Patrick White
Aliases:
Patrick Victor Martindale White / P. V. M. White
Pen Names:
P.V.M. White（Signature used on early privately printed poems）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1912-05-28 （Knightsbridge, London, England）
- Died
- 1990-09-30 （Sydney, Australia） age 78
- Nationality
- Australian
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Anglican (later eclectic religious views including pantheist/agnostic tendencies)
- Residence History
- Elizabeth Bay (childhood, Sydney) → Cheltenham (boarding school, England) → Cambridge (university) → Castle Hill (farm 'Dogwoods') → Centennial Park (Highbury, Sydney) → London (early adult life and early literary career) → Alexandria (stationed in WWII)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, playwright, essayist
- Active Years
- 1935-1987
- Influenced By
- James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Roy de Maistre (painter, mentor), Jungian psychology
- Influenced
- Thomas Keneally, Thea Astley, Randolph Stow, Christopher Koch, David Malouf
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham College | — | — | — | 1925–1929 | United Kingdom |
| King's College, Cambridge | Modern Languages | — | BA | 1932–1935 | United Kingdom |
Cheltenham College
Period:
1925–1929
Country:
United Kingdom
Boarding school attendance; left without final examinations
King's College, Cambridge
Modern Languages
Degree:
BA
Period:
1932–1935
Year of Graduation:
1935
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied French and German literature
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Gold Medal of the Australian Literature Society | Happy Valley | — | Australian Literature Society | 受賞 |
| 1955 | Gold Medal of the Australian Literature Society | The Tree of Man | — | Australian Literature Society | 受賞 |
| 1957 | Miles Franklin Literary Award | Voss | — | Miles Franklin Award | 受賞 |
| 1959 | W. H. Smith Literary Award | Voss | — | W. H. Smith | 受賞 |
| 1961 | Miles Franklin Literary Award | Riders in the Chariot | — | Miles Franklin Award | 受賞 |
| 1973 | Nobel Prize in Literature | — | — | The Nobel Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1973 | Australian of the Year | — | — | National Australia Day Council | 受賞 |
| 1975 | Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | — | — | Order of Australia | 受章（1976年に辞任） |
Gold Medal of the Australian Literature Society
1941
Work:
Happy Valley
Organization:
Australian Literature Society
Result:
受賞
Gold Medal of the Australian Literature Society
1955
Work:
The Tree of Man
Organization:
Australian Literature Society
Result:
受賞
Miles Franklin Literary Award
1957
Work:
Voss
Organization:
Miles Franklin Award
Result:
受賞
W. H. Smith Literary Award
1959
Work:
Voss
Organization:
W. H. Smith
Result:
受賞
Miles Franklin Literary Award
1961
Work:
Riders in the Chariot
Organization:
Miles Franklin Award
Result:
受賞
Nobel Prize in Literature
1973
Organization:
The Nobel Foundation
Result:
受賞
Australian of the Year
1973
Organization:
National Australia Day Council
Result:
受賞
Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
1975
Organization:
Order of Australia
Result:
受章（1976年に辞任）
Awards & Nominations
Nobel Prize in Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 66 (1973) Winner
Works
Major Works
The Tree of Man
1955 NovelA novel attempting to suggest every aspect of life through the lives of an ordinary man and woman; blends religious and existential exploration with rural Australian life.
religious experiencecommunity and isolationpioneer spirit
Voss
1957 NovelAn epic psychological novel about the explorer Voss and the Australian interior; notable for shifting points of view and symbolic richness.
visionary outsiderhuman solitudenature and spirit
Adaptations
- [Opera] Voss (opera) / Richard Meale (作曲) (1986)
The Eye of the Storm
1973 NovelA psychological novel about family dynamics around a dying mother; published the year he won the Nobel Prize and drew worldwide attention.
family dynamicsdeath and ritualmorality and egoism
Adaptations
- [Film] The Eye of the Storm (2011 film) / Fred Schepisi (2011)
Riders in the Chariot
1961 NovelExplores religious and mystical themes through marginal and visionary characters; received strong acclaim in Australia.
religiositymarginalized characterssalvation and revelation
The Vivisector
1970 NovelA novel about a painter's career and the conflicts between art and human relationships; an allegorical work set in the art world.
art and sacrificecreativityexploitation in relationships
The Twyborn Affair
1979 NovelDeals with gender and identity; explores self and other and the fluidity of sex with experimental elements.
gender fluidityidentityself-fragmentation
Happy Valley
1939 NovelAn early novel based in part on his jackaroo experience; rural life narrative that won the ALS Gold Medal.
rural lifematuration and setbacks
The Aunt's Story
1948 NovelA work about retreat into the inner life and personal transformation; received favorable attention in the United States.
interior lifetransformation
Bibliography
- Happy Valley (1939)
- The Living and the Dead (1941)
- The Aunt's Story (1948)
- The Tree of Man (1955)
- Voss (1957)
- Riders in the Chariot (1961)
- The Solid Mandala (1966)
- The Vivisector (1970)
- The Eye of the Storm (1973)
- A Fringe of Leaves (1976)
- The Twyborn Affair (1979)
- Flaws in the Glass (1981)
- Memoirs of Many in One (1986)
- Three Uneasy Pieces (1987)
- The Hanging Garden (unfinished, published posthumously 2012)
Adaptations
- The Eye of the Storm — film (2011), dir. Fred Schepisi
- The Night the Prowler — film (1978), dir. Jim Sharman
- Voss — opera (1986), composer Richard Meale
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Complex, polyphonic modernist styleFrequent shifts of interior perspective and narrative voiceMix of realism with symbolist and expressionist modes
- Recurring Motifs
- religious and mystical experiencethe visionary/outsider figuresexual ambivalence and identity quests
Health
-
Asthma (from childhood)幼少期〜生涯Chronic respiratory problems requiring long-term treatment; cortisone use later contributed to complications.
-
Osteoporosis (side effect of cortisone)1980年代中頃以降Hospitalized with vertebral collapse and reduced physical mobility.
-
Glaucoma1980年代Likely affected vision; associated with cortisone treatment.
-
Pleurisy and bronchial collapse (final illness)1990年Refused hospitalisation and died at home.
Legacy
A preeminent 20th-century Australian writer whose 1973 Nobel Prize secured international recognition. He supported subsequent generations through initiatives such as the Patrick White Award founded with his Nobel prize money.
Museums
- National Library of Australia (holds Patrick White manuscripts) Canberra, Australia Opened in 2006
- Art Gallery of New South Wales (holds works from his collection) Sydney, Australia
- Patrick White Lawns (commemorative lawns) Canberra, adjacent to the National Library of Australia
Academic Societies
- Australian literary study circles
Archives
- National Library of Australia (manuscripts, letters, unfinished works)
- Art Gallery of New South Wales (portraits and donated art)
- Public collections in Sydney (e.g., portrait in Parliament House)
In Popular Culture
- The Patrick White Award (literary prize named after him)
- Media adaptations such as the film of The Eye of the Storm (2011)
Quotes
-
He was the central mandala in my life's hitherto messy design.
Source: Autobiographical writing and interviews (Patrick White) -
The Nobel Prize is a terrifying and destructive experience.
Source: Statement (circa 1970s, from letters/interviews)
Trivia
- He is often noted as the only Australian Nobel laureate in Literature (with contextual notes regarding citizenship of other laureates).
- He accepted the Order of Australia (Companion) in 1975 but resigned in 1976.
- He destroyed many early poems and manuscripts before moving from his farm.
- Founded the Patrick White Award in 1975 using his Nobel prize money.
- In 2006 a hoax chapter of The Eye of the Storm submitted under the anagram name 'Wraith Picket' was rejected by publishers.