Patrick White
White, c. 1940s
Born: Patrick Victor Martindale White
28 May 1912
Knightsbridge, London, UK
Died: 30 September 1990 (aged 78)
Sydney, Australia
Language: English
Nationality: Australian
Alma mater: King's College, Cambridge
Period: 1935–1987
Notable works: Selected works
Notable awards:
- Miles Franklin Award (1957, 1961)
- ALS Gold Medal (1941, 1955, 1965)
- Australian of the Year (1973)
- Nobel Prize in Literature (1973)
Partner: Manoly Lascaris (1941–2003)
Military Career:
- Allegiance: United Kingdom
- Service/branch: Royal Air Force
- Years of service: 1940–1945
- Battles/wars: World War II
Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays from 1935 to 1987.
White's fiction employs humor, florid prose, shifting narrative vantage points, and stream of consciousness techniques. In 1973, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for an epic and psychological narrative art which has introduced a new continent into literature," according to the Swedish Academy's citation. He remains the only Australian to have received the prize. White was also the inaugural recipient of the Miles Franklin Award.
Childhood and Adolescence
Patrick White was born in Knightsbridge, London, to Victor Martindale White and Ruth (née Withycombe), both Australians, on 28 May 1912. His family returned to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. As a child, he lived in a flat with his sister, a nanny, and a maid, while his parents lived in an adjoining flat. In 1916, they moved to a house in Elizabeth Bay, which many years later became a nursing home known as Lulworth House.
White developed asthma at age four, a condition that had taken his maternal grandfather's life. His health was fragile throughout his childhood, limiting his participation in many activities. Despite his health issues, White discovered a love for the theatre early on, attending his first play, *The Merchant of Venice*, at age six.
He started his formal education at Sandtoft Kindergarten in Woollahra, followed by two years at Cranbrook School. At ten, White was sent to Tudor House School, a boarding school in Moss Vale, in an attempt to alleviate his asthma. He adjusted slowly to the presence of other children and began writing plays at this early age.
At Cheltenham College in England, White struggled socially and described his time there as a "four-year prison sentence." His relationship with his parents remained distant, though he spent time with his cousin Jack Withycombe. White found solace in his friendship with Ronald Waterall, an older student who shared his interests. However, when Waterall left the school, White withdrew again. His parents eventually allowed him to finish school early to return to Australia and try life on the land, hoping it would temper his artistic ambitions.
White spent two years as a stockman at Bolaro, a station near Adaminaby, on the edge of the Snowy Mountains. Although he grew to respect the land and his health improved, it was clear he was not suited to this lifestyle.
Travelling the World
From 1932 to 1935, White lived in England, studying French and German literature at King's College, Cambridge. During his time there, he experienced his first love affair with a young man studying to become an Anglican priest. In 1934, White published a collection of poetry, *The Ploughman and Other Poems*, and wrote a play performed by an amateur group in Sydney. He briefly settled in London after graduating, writing several unpublished works and reworking his novel *Happy Valley*. The novel was well-received in London but poorly in Australia. In 1936, he met painter Roy De Maistre, who became an important influence and mentor. White dedicated *Happy Valley* to De Maistre and acknowledged his impact on his writing.
White spent time in the United States before World War II, returning to London to join the British Royal Air Force. He served in the Middle East and had an affair with Greek army officer Manoly Lascaris, who became his life partner. After the war, White and Lascaris lived in Cairo before moving to a small farm in Castle Hill, Sydney, where they lived for 18 years.
Growth of Writing Career
After the war, White's reputation as a writer grew with the publication of *The Aunt's Story* and *The Tree of Man*. His next novel, *Voss*, won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1961, *Riders in the Chariot* won a second Miles Franklin Award. White's work from the 1960s, including the short story collection *The Burnt Ones* and the play *The Season at Sarsaparilla*, solidified his reputation as a leading author.
In 1968, White published *The Vivisector*, a character portrait of an artist. Despite speculation, White denied connections to real-life figures. He declined further literary prizes, including the Britannia Award and another Miles Franklin Award, and became an opponent of censorship and Australia's participation in the Vietnam War. In 1973, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he had previously hoped to avoid.
White and Lascaris hosted many dinner parties at their home in Centennial Park. White's political views shifted to support the Labor government, and he became openly antiroyalist. His health began to decline in the 1970s, and he resigned from the Order of Australia in protest of the dismissal of the Whitlam government. He continued to write, producing his autobiography *Flaws in the Glass* and his last novel, *Memoirs of Many in One*, under a pen name.
Personal Life and Legacy
White remained a private person, often falling out with friends but maintaining strong opinions on political and social issues. He was openly critical of Australian society's subservience to Britain and expressed admiration for figures like historian Manning Clark and satirist Barry Humphries. Despite his personal struggles with faith, White's work often explored themes of human frailty and the divine.
White died in Sydney on 30 September 1990. His legacy includes posthumous recognition for *The Vivisector* and film adaptations of his works. While his literary contributions are sometimes overlooked in Australia, his influence remains significant. In 2006, a literary hoax involving a chapter from *The Eye of the Storm* highlighted the ongoing relevance of his work.
List of Works
Novels
- *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)
- *Memoirs of Many in One* (1986)
- *The Hanging Garden* (2012) (Unfinished, posthumous)
Short Story Collections
- *The Burnt Ones* (1964)
- *The Cockatoos* (1974)
- *Three Uneasy Pieces* (1987)
Poetry
- *Thirteen Poems* (ca. 1929)
- *The Ploughman and Other Poems* (1935)
Plays
- *Bread and Butter Women* (1935) Unpublished.
- *The School for Friends* (1935) Unpublished.
- *Return to Abyssinia* (1948) Unpublished.
- *The Ham Funeral* (1947) prem. Union Theatre, Adelaide, 1961.
- *The Season at Sarsaparilla* (1962)
- *A Cheery Soul* (1963)
- *Night on Bald Mountain* (1964)
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