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Patrick White ( May 28, 1912 – September 30, 1990) was an Australian author. His writings make great use of the stream of consciousness technique. His first book, "The Ploughman and Other Poems", was published in 1935, and he would go on to write a total of 27 novels. He was the recipient of the 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature - the only Australian to be so honored.1 Childhood and adolescence
Though his parents were Australian, he was born in Knightsbridge, London . They returned to Australia when he was six months old and settled in Sydney. As a child, he lived in one flat with his siblings, nanny and maid, while his parents lived an adjoining flat. The distance between him and his parents was to remain throughout White’s life. In 1916, at the age of four, White developed asthma, a condition which had taken the life of his maternal grandfather. His health was fragile throughout his childhood, and this stopped him from participating in normal childhood activities. It was here that his imagination began to develop. He would perform private rites in the garden, and would dance for his mother’s friends. He also loved the theatre, which he first visited at an early age. At the age of ten, White was sent to boarding school in the New South Wales highlands, in an attempt to help his asthma. It took him some time to adjust to having other children around. It was at boarding school that he began to write plays. At this early age, he took to writing about noticeably adult themes. In 1924, the boarding school ran into financial trouble, and the headmaster suggested that White be sent to boarding school in England.
White struggled to adjust to the new surroundings at Cheltenham College, his new school. He was later to describe it as 'a four-year prison sentence'. White withdrew inside himself and had few friends there. Occasionally, he would go on holidays with his parents to other locations within EuropeFor the band of the same name, see Europe (band . Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Se, but their relationship remained distant. In London, he did make one close friend, Ronald Waterall, an older, effeminate boy with similar interests. White’s biographer, David MarrDavid Marr ( January 19, 1945 November 17, 1980) was a British psychologist. Born in Essex, and educated at Rugby School, he studied mathematics and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, and subsequently worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Tec, wrote that they would walk arm in arm to London shows, stand around stage doors to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars and give practical demonstrations of chorus girls’ high kicks, with appropriate noises. However, Waterall graduated, White withdrew into himself again. He asked his parents if he could leave school to become an actor, and they compromised, allowing him to finish school early on the condition that he came home to Australia to try life on the land.
2 Travelling the world
White spent two years working as a jackeroo at Bolaro, an 18,000 acre (73 km²) station on the edge of the Snowy MountainsThe Snowy Mountains (The "Snowies") are the tallest Australian mountain range and contain Australia's tallest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko at 2228 metres above sea level. They are part of the larger Great Dividing Range. Explored in 1835 and feeding the Sno in New South Wales. His parents felt that he should work on the land rather than become a writer, and they felt that once he became a jackeroo, that he would stop. White grew to respect the land, and his health began to improve. However, it became clear that he was not cut out for this life, as he lacked the necessary interest.
From 19321932 is the leap year starting on Friday. see link for calendar) Events January-February January 3 British arrest and intern Mohandas Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel January 8 In Britain the Archbishop of Canterbury forbids church remarriage of divorcees Jan to 1935, White returned to England, studying French and German literature at King's College, Cambridge - though he only decided to take the German course the day he arrived. He did not enjoy his first term there, as he fell in love with a young man who had come to King's to become an Anglican priest, but dared not speak of his feelings for fear of losing the friendship. He feared that his homosexuality could doom him to a lonely life. Then one night, the student priest, after an awkward liaison with two women, admitted to White that it had meant nothing to him. This became White’s first love affair.
While at Cambridge, a collection of his poems was published under the title The Ploughman and Other Poems. He also wrote a play that was performed by an amateur group. White received his Bachelor of Arts in 1935, and briefly settled in London, where he wrote several unpublished works. He lived in an area that was frequented by artists, and thrived for a time. He reworked a novel that he had written while jackerooing, and entitled it Happy Valley. In 1937Events January January 1 Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua January 11 The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States. January 19 Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours,, White’s father died, leaving him ten thousand pounds. This enabled him to write full time and not have to rely on his writing to survive. Two more plays followed while in London, before he succeeded in finding a publisher for Happy Valley. It was well received in London, but poorly received in Australia. He also wrote another novel, Nightside, but after receiving negative comments, abandoned it. White later spoke of regretting that he had not finished it.
Towards the end of the 1930sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s Years: 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Link Trainer invented Sc, White spent some time in the United States. He spent time in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and New York CitySkyline, with Statue of Liberty New York, New York" redirects here. For alternate meanings, see New York, New York (disambiguation). New York — officially named City of New York and often called New York City to distinguish it from the state of New York,, where he wrote The Living and the Dead. By the time World War Two broke out, White was back in London, and he joined the Royal Air Force. He was accepted as an intelligence officer, and was posted to the Middle East. He served in Egypt, Palestine and Greece before the war was over. While in the Middle East, he had an affair with an officer, Manoly Lascaris, who was to become his life partner.
