Norman Lindsay - letters received (2) from Robert D. FitzGerald, 1950-1951

MLMSS 6136

fonds

1950-1951

119758

1 folder - 0.01 Meters
Textual Records
Textual Records - (typescript)

Robert David FitzGerald (1902-1987) was born at Hunters Hill, Sydney, where he lived for much of his life. Although he pursued a career in surveying, he is best remembered as a poet and influential commentator on modern Australian writing. In the early 1920s, FitzGerald participated in the production of the journal 'Vision', with Norman Lindsay, Hugh McCrae, Kenneth Slessor and Jack Lindsay. During this time, FitzGerald was greatly influenced by Norman Lindsay's ideas and philosophy.
Norman Lindsay (1879-1969) was born in Creswick, Victoria. Primarily noted as an artist (painter, etcher, cartoonist, sculptor, illustrator and model-maker), he also wrote novels, essays, literary criticism, art appreciations and reminiscences. He worked for the Bulletin magazine from 1901 until two years before his death.

16 May 1950; Manuscript letter (6 pages) thanking Lindsay for his pencil sketch and painting of FitzGerald's portrait and describing various people's reactions to them. He also comments on Lindsay's "early and, fortunately, ineradicable influence on anything I have since done."
15 Nov. 1951; Typescript letter (2 pages) thanking Lindsay for offering to do a frontispiece for FitzGerald's lengthy poem, `Between two tides,' about the life and exploits of Will Mariner, drawn from an account by J.M. Martin (1817). FitzGerald provides Lindsay with details of Mariner's age and character, as well as a description of Michaela, the Governor of Tola's daughter.