Letters by Patrick White – Patrick White Catalogue

LETTERS

Jack Carington Smith, By the Sea (1943)

Patrick White was a prolific letter writer, penning thousands during his lifetime. While a great deal of his private correspondence was lost, David Marr collected hundreds of them for his volume Patrick White: Letters.

This page instead focuses on public letters written by White, i.e. those to newspapers and occasionally other outlets. Long before he was a household name, White enjoyed expressing his opinions, usually in letters to the write-in section of the Sydney Morning Herald. I have tracked down 37 pieces he wrote throughout his life, as well as 6 ‘open letters’ to which he lendt his name but did not actually write.

Where I have been able to see the letter in question (usually via Trove or the State Library of Victoria), I have made a note.

As always, I would welcome hearing from anyone who can provide additional insight.

Letter to ‘Andrea’ (1941)

Letter to Sydney Sun and Guardian 10/8/1941, p.18. Patrick White, “who delights with prose and poetry alike”, writes to regular columnist Andrea from his new war posting in Egypt. He talks about the joys of working with the RAF, and the sorrows of war: “Even a good German will breed a bad one”. And then there’s writing; he can’t wait to get back to his work. “There are five more books I want to write. Gregariousness is getting me down. I want a room to myself and all day to think my thoughts… Europe, I don’t think I could live in any more. It will have to be the States or Australia.” PDF | JPG

Passenger in Defence (1946)

[Left: Patrick White milking a cow, 1950s]

Letter to the SMH 31/10/1946 in defence of European immigrants, who were being criticised by many locals. This was his first foray into public debate, a practice that would not become common for several years yet. PDF File

One point which seems to have been overlooked in the correspondence that has arisen out of the childish and unjust accusations made against the Strathmore immigrants, is the vital necessity for easing the European situation immediately by the admission of immigrants to under-populated countries.

After five years in the Eastern Mediterranean I feel that I can speak with some knowledge of the problem. To the north, our staunch allies, the Greeks, can barely support themselves in their own small and comparatively unproductive country which, at the same time, is continually torn by domestic strife, and haunted by the likelihood of aggression. In Egypt, the whole European population, including many British Cypriots and Maltese, lives more or less anticipating its marching orders.

Much has been written about Palestine and the necessity for admitting immigrants, but not enough consideration has been given, to my mind, to those Palestinians who wish to go elsewhere, thus automatically reliving the tension.

These three countries alone, with their economic uncertainties and unhappy political passions, are a pretty considerable danger to world security, and we shall not do much to alleviate that situation by bottling up the inhabitants with their desperation. The European problem is still ours, in so much as we shall share inevitably in some future war that we shall prepare by our short-sightedness.

Full bellies, a roof, and a plot of land breed content. As these requisites are generally more accessible to the British and Americans, they are sometimes unable to understand the nostalgic desire of the have-nots to achieve the same state.

Although I am myself a British national and an ex-serviceman who shared a dormitory with nearly 100 foreign immigrants on the Strathmore, and although I argued for nine months to get a passage to Australia, I must still maintain the necessity for allotting a good percentage of passages to foreign immigrants whether it is to the British Dominions, the United States or South America, and that at once. If a few Britons suffer temporarily by not travelling where and as they wish they have at least the mental comfort and moral support that a “safe” nationality brings in a world in which problems are still distressingly national.

But the immigration issue is not a national one. We must learn to think in international terms if we are to avoid an accentuation in world suffering.

Patrick White, Sydney
October 30, 1946

Freedom and Cyprus (1956)

Letter to the SMH 2/6/1956 condemning the British for provoking conflict between Greeks and Turks at a time when the Greeks were already facing distress and trauma post-war. PDF File

“Fortunately the British themselves seem to be growing increasingly aware of the iniquitous policy of their present inept leaders, and one can only hope that this awareness may result in a radical change.”

Letter to the Sunday Mirror (1961)

29/7/1961. Haven’t seen this. Cited in Hubber & Smith.

Trust and the “Funeral” (1962)

Letter to the Sydney Nation 13.1.1962. Published in Selected Writings.

The result of the argument about who brought The Ham Funeral to Adelaide. PW chimed in to the discussion to support his friends Geoffrey Dutton and Max Harris. Ultimately PW reminds people that the show was a success and may be even performed overseas.

Letter to the Sunday Telegraph (1963)

In response to a savage piece by David McNicoll (26/5/1963) who argued that a “rich bachelor” like PW couldn’t know anything about suburbia to be qualified to satirise it in Season at Sarsaparilla. PW attempted to show that his life was often one of manual labour, and that he had spent the last 15 years living an authentic suburban life. Don’t have.

Patrick White’s Opera (1964)

Letter to the Editor, Bulletin, 27/6/1964. Response to previous piece by John Small in Bulletin 13/6/1964 p.47, which claimed PW was working on an opera. PW clarified that he was not – although in fact he had recently abandoned an operatic version of A Fringe of Leaves with composer Peter Sculthorpe. JPG file

Staging of “Night on Bald Mountain” (1965)

SMH 7/1/1965 in reply to another letter called “Sydney Playgoers neglected” which argued that Sydney theatre-lovers were missing out because of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust’s refusal to pick up Night on Bald Mountain after its Adelaide première in 1964. PW wrote to the SMH to respond to the wonderfully named Shirley Horn to say that it was not Sydney’s fault. In fact, he said, there was just no theatre which had the intimate auditorium combined with a wide, deep stage that would suit the play. (This may not be the whole truth of the matter, but it’s what PW decided to go with!) JPG file

A Visit to Sir Osbert (1966)

Letter to the Editor, Bulletin, 22/1/1966: in reply to a letter on page 20 of Bulletin 8/1/1966 which alleged that PW could not be bothered to meet Sir Osbert Sitwell on his visit to Australia. Osbert was sick, apparently in actual fact. (PW was a snob, was the point the original writer was making). Have copy.

Pathetic chauvinism (1967)

Letter in SMH 13 December 1967 denouncing the Britannica Award decision not to give Christina Stead the award, on the grounds she had lived away too long. She’s a great writer, he felt, and also needs the money and recognition. JPG file

“Sir, if the Higher Junta of Australian Intellect considers a novelist of genius like Christina Stead, ineligible for its much–juggled American award, it helps explain to me why, for some time past, I have felt a foreigner in this pathetically chauvinistic parish.

And what about Sidney Nolan? Ineligible too, because he doesn’t squat round the pump along with the other blokes?

–PW

Letter to the ABR (1967)

Comment in reply to a letter by Margaret Dick about Peter Mathers’ Trap (he was a fan), The Miles Franklin Award, ABR 6.8 (June 1967) Don’t have.

Letter to SMH (1968)

PW to SMH 16/3/1968 recommending the play Terror Australis at Jane Street Theatre, as an antidote to poorly made Australian plays. A satire directed by Jim Sharman, the production featured future stars Garry McDonald and Helen Morse. (Sharman would become a big part of PW’s life a decade later) JPG file

OPEN LETTER #1. Letter to SMH (1968)

SMH 20/3/1968 – an open letter condemning South Africa as a police state. PW was one of eight that included Kylie Tennant, Judith Wright, James McAuley, and then Leader of the Opposition Gough Whitlam. Letter not published but the article notes that the South African government is presenting apartheid as a good thing by controlling information and lying to other countries. PDF file

Letter to Nation (1968)

11/5/1968 p.15 on his relationship with composer Richard Meale (reply to a letter p.12 of 13/4/1968) Don’t have.

Awards for literature (1968)

Letter to 26/11/1968 re the Britannica Awards. Frustrated that Douglas Stewart was nominated despite being an expatriate, while they had previously refused Christina Stead the award on the same ground. (Followed up in a piece on 4/12, A Leaky Parish Pump, where the Britannica confirmed residency didn’t matter for award consideration, but declined to explain why they screwed over CS. PW is briefly interviewed.) JPG file

OPEN LETTER #2. Joint signatory on the Vietnam moratorium (1970)

Open letter to The Australian, signed with numerous others, 16/9/1970 p.14. Don’t have.

Bread and games (1972)

Letter to the SMH 4/7/1972 arguing that the Sydney City Council spends far more on the Olympics than on worthy charities like the Smith Family. JPG file

Letter to the SMH (1972)

21/8/1972 In support of moves to halt developments in inner city areas that are currently liveable due to parks and other amenities, and that arguably do not need further development. Co-signed by Neil Runcie, in support of accompanying letter by Jack Mundey. PDF file

Letter to the SMH (1972)

7/11/1972, bemoaning why critics were complaining or at least not raving about the Sydney revue The Mavis McMahon Show and the Barry Humphries film The Adventures of Barry McKenzie. PW saw cultural cringe and self-loathing as explanations for the negative critical response. JPG file

OPEN LETTER #3. Letter to the SMH (1972)

23.11.1972 co-signed this open letter which appeared in most major Australian newspapers one week before the Federal Election. The letter for John Gorton to be kicked out of office and Gough Whitlam voted in. The letter was signed by Kenneth Myer (chair of Myer Emporium), the poet David Campbell, Judith Wright, Frank Fenner, Hedley Bull, and Manning Clark. File 1 | File 2

The Oasis of the Backyard (1973)

Letter to the SMH. 5/11/1973 – castigating both sides of politics for not looking after Sydney’s heritage. JPG file

Letter to the house of Representatives (1973)

In response to an invitation from the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, to attend the House of Reps and formally be acknowledged for his win of the Nobel Prize Literature.

Dear Mr Cope,

Thank you for your telegram inviting me to the House. Unfortunately, this is the kind of situation to which my nature does not easily adapt itself. I have received congratulations from the Prime Minister, from friends, and from hundreds of Australians unknown to me. It is gratifying and moving that so many people from such varied walks of life should have wanted to express their enthusiasm. So may we, please, leave it at that?

Yours sincerely,

Patrick White

Wheat Sale (1973)

Letter to the Adelaide Advertiser 26/12/1973, p.6. Reported in Hubber & Smith, have not yet sighted it personally to confirm existence. (A couple of items in that bibliography appear poorly sourced.) Don’t have.

Letter to Time magazine (1974)

Published 25/3/1974 in response to Time writing lazily that PW lived with a “male housekeeper”. Don’t have.

“The distinguished, and universally respected man who has given me his friendship and moral support over a period of thirty-four years has never been a housekeeper. I am that, and shall continue playing the role at least till I am paralysed; it keeps me in touch with reality.”

OPEN LETTER #4.Soviet dissidents(1974)

Open letter to the Canberra Times 5/7/1974, alongside Phillip Adams, R.D. Fitzgerald, Tom Keneally, Bob Hawke, A.A. Phillips, Dal Stivens, Judith Wright, and others. This called on the Australian and the US governments to withdraw economic assistance for the Vietnamese regime and to raise awareness of the ill treatment of dissidents in the Soviet Union and associated states. Reprinted in the Bulletin as “Saigon Prisoners”, 20/7/1974.

Letter to the Australian (1974)

Cited in Hubber and Smith. Letter to Australian, 2/10/1974. No details. Don’t have.

“The Perils of Art in Sydney Town” (1974)

2/11/1974 Letter to the SMH. PW writes about Dorothy Hewett’s play The Chapel Perilous and to attack the NSW Government for its paltry supporting of the arts. Have copy. JPG file

Published in Selected Writings.

Letter to the Armidale and District Historical Society Journal and Proceedings (1975)

No. 18, Jan 1975, p. 19. Unseen, cited in Hubber & Smith. Details unknown. Don’t have.

Letter to the SMH (1976)

PW submitted the letter which the newspaper chose not to publish. However the Herald reported the content on 21 June, with PW announcing he had quit the Order of Australia in light of the Dismissal of the Prime Minister.

Letter to the Australian (1976)

24/8/1976 p6, re: Louis Nowra’s play Visions currently being staged at the Paris Theatre, Sydney. PW loved it, but he also had a vested interest because the Paris Theatre was a new theatre set up by Jim Sharman. Sharman was a young director PW respected, who was supposed to stage a revival of A Cheery Soul in 1977. The theatre crumbled before this was possible, but Sharman would play a large role in the next decade of PW’s career. Don’t have.

The Henry Lawson Fracas (1978)

Letter to the SMH, 17 May 1978. PW waded into what the SMH called a “literary joust”. Professor Manning Clark had published a book entitled In Search of Henry Lawson. Although Clark calls his work “a hymn of praise”, one of the acknowledged experts on Lawson, Professor Colin Roderick, took offense at this. Roderick argued (on 12/5) that Clark had instead written an error-filled “dirge of gloom”. Roderick was complaining about two things. One was completely legitimate, even for those of us who adore Clark’s worship; he was a writer known for his imaginative forays into history, telling the reader how a person thought or acted without providing much evidence. The other issue was, and remains, more divisive: Clark was keen to see people from history as rather cruel and shadowy; Roderick was determined to see them through rose-tinted glasses. Here we see some of the early salvos in the “culture wars” that still rage today. Clark chose to stay silent in response, although his publishers were happy to note that the book had already sold out of its first printing.

In 1976 Clark had caused controversy for his Meanjin article, “Are We A Nation of Bastards”, which reflected on the dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by the Queen’s representative, the Governor-General. Clark’s outspoken condemnation of the G-G’s actions earned him conservative opprobrium.Now, Professor Roderick joined forces with them, calling for Clark to resign from the Australia Council for the Arts. On the 17^th, PW jumped in, in favour of Clark. “Roderick comes out of the affair looking like a very jealous man, perhaps because he’s a drab hand at romance here.”

The following day, Roderick responded (how the SMH editors must have cheered!) to defend himself against PW’s dismissive claims about Roderick’s own life. The letter section on the 19^th featured defences on all sides by other interested parties, and numerous editorials over the coming days. Ultimately, the SMH ran a piece from Lawson’s great-grand daughter arguing that the idea of any objective truth – even if it could exist a hundred years on – doesn’t matter, because Lawson was famously unconcerned with truth himself!

Published in Selected Writings.

In a side note to this, Professor Roderick was a noted collector of Patrick White first editions, and several of his personal copies are those held by major Australian state libraries.

Nowra’s Vision of Australia (1980)

This was written as a latter to the editor in the SMH, as a support of Louis Nowra’s new play Inside the Island, directed by Neil Armfield (whom PW apparently did not know at this point) at the Nimrod Theatre. PW believed the play was being critically neglected, especially by the SMH’s longtime reviewer Harry Kippax. The SMH declined to publish the letter. So the Nimrod Theatre had it printed as a paid ad in the 6/9/1980 issue of the newspaper, as well as using it for advertising in general.

Published in Selected Writings.

Author Sticks His Head Out (1981)

Letter to the SMH 1/4/1981. After PW gave his “State of the Colony” interview, a Mr. Donald R. Palmer of Boyle Street, Balgowlah, wrote a letter to the SMH entitled “Pull Your Head In, Patrick White”. PW responded, refuting the claim he was an English born-and-raised snob who looked down on Australians. PW argued that although he was born in London by chance, he was very much an Australian by bloodline and culture, and an Australian republican at that.

Jack Mundey and the BLF (1981)

Open letter circulated at the Australian Congress of Trade Unions on 6/9/1981 and reported in the SMH the following day. In this letter, PW called on the ACTU to reinstate Jack Mundey, who had been expelled 7 years earlier; a subject PW had also expounded on in Flaws in the Glass, which was being released at the same time. Mundey “is an exceptional Australian… has so much to offer his country if only the plodding majority would see it.”

Published in Patrick White Speaks.

An open letter to Neville Wran, President of the ALP (1982)

With the Australian Labor Party on the verge of power, famed union leader Bob Hawke was preparing to make a move on longtime leader of the party, Bill Hayden. The man who succeeded would become Prime Minister in 1983, an election everyone expected Labor to win. The leftwing Hayden was anti-nuclear while Hawke was more pragmatic about both the value of uranium mining and export, and the challenge of going against America on this issue. The subject was taken to the ALP’s Conference, which was headed by Neville Wran. PW wrote this letter to be circulated, pushing for stronger safeguards and moratoriums on uranium mining. Not only did the letter fail, but Hawke became Leader of the Party, and then Prime Minister, and the battle was largely lost.

Published in David Marr’s Letters.

Letter to the Guardian (1982)

14/8/1982, p.8. Unconfirmed but cited in Hubber/Smith.

Open Letter to Reagan, Thatcher, and Mitterand (1984)

May 1984. This letter called for more engagement with progressive causes, nuclear disarmament, and thinking about future generations. PW submitted it to major newspapers in each of the relevant countries, but none of them chose to publish it.

The letter was published in David Marr’s Letters.

Letter to the National Times (1985)

17/5/1985, p. 18. Haven’t seen this, cited in Hubber & Smith.

OPEN LETTER #5. The ‘real’ ABC audience calls for inquiry (1985)

Published in SMH 12/8/1985. PW is one of 13 personalities who sign an open letter claiming that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is failing, by giving in to mediocrity and avoiding high culture to become more ‘relevant’,. Other signatories included Michael Kirby, Frank Moorhouse, Christopher J. Koch, Les Murray, Nancy Keesing, Thomas Keneally, and Elizabeth Evatt. JPG file

Writer Replies (1989)

Published in the SMH 23/11/1989, in what appears to be the final newspaper statement PW made. The SMH review of The Ham Funeral had been broadly positive, but questioned the lead performances of Tyler Coppin and Kerry Walker, noting that the former’s American accent and the latter’s English accent seemed at odds with a production that was consciously setting the play in Australia. PW responded to say that the play is deliberately set in no particular time nor place, and that any inadequacies lay with him, and not the two leads. JPG file

OPEN LETTER #6. Support the Burunga Statement and the Prime Minister’s reply to it (1989)

Open letter calling for A treaty with Aborigines in 1990, published in the SMH 2/12/1989. Supported by, among others, Phillip Adams, Thea Astley, Bob Brown, Peter Carey, Manning Clark, Dymphna Cusack, H.C. Coombs, Bill Gammage, Dorothy Green, Tom Keneally, Chris Wallace-Crabbe and Judith Wright.

Letter to save Showground land near Moore Park (1989)

PW couldn’t attend the protest but he sent a brief letter (as reported in the SMH 16/12/1989), with concerns about the Showground site. There was consideration for it to be sold and redeveloped – it had been run down over 30 years by the Royal Agricultural Society – but PW felt it should go back to the people. It didn’t work; in 1997, the Shoewground was leased to News Corp, becoming Fox Studios, while the RAS moved to Sydney Olympic Park.

Letter to support the Aboriginal affairs rally (1990)

On 15/5/1990 a NSW rally was held criticising “Far-reaching changes planned for Aboriginal affairs” by the NSW Premier, Mr Greiner. As reported in the SMH the next day, the bill would abolish the NSW Aboriginal Land Council. PW sent a message from his sickbed, saying “We who oppose him must stand together and bring about his end.”

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