Hilary Lofting
Hilary Joseph Francis Lofting | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 May 1881 London, England |
| Died | 3 May 1939 (aged 57) Manly, New South Wales, Australia |
| Pen name | Francis Brien |
| Occupation | Novelist, Travel writer, Journalist, Editor |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Australia (immigrant from England, in 1915) |
| Education | St Edmund's College, Cambridge |
| Genre | Short story, Travel writing |
| Notable works | The Happy Vagabond (1928, Co-author of Margaret Fane) Bail Up! (1939) |
| Spouse | May Wheatcroft (1915-1917) Margaret Fane (1918 – 1939)(his death) |
| Relatives | Hugh Lofting (brother) |
Hilary Joseph Francis Lofting (23 May 1881 – 3 May 1939) was an Australian novelist, travel writer, journalist and editor.
He was the eldest brother of Hugh Lofting (1886-1947, Doctor Dolittle's author).
Personal life
Hilary was born in London, England, to English and Irish parents. He was the eldest child of five boys and one girl.
He studied Architectural Engineering at St Edmund's College, Cambridge. After graduating, he was involved in, such as railway construction around Ireland, continental Europe and Argentina as civil engineer. He returned to England after finishing the work, and volunteered for military service, but he was rejected twice over.[1]
In 1915, he married May Wheatcroft in London, and the couple moved to Australia in 1917. Hilary was recommended by friends to write based on the events that he had experienced in Buenos Aires, under the pseudonym of "Francis Brien". This travel writing was well received where it caught the eye of the David McKee Wright was the editor of The Bulletin, which was published in the magazine. Therefore, Hilary decided to be a writer to quit the civil engineer, but May was opposed to his career change, this does happen to get divorced due.
Following year, Hilary was remarried Margaret Fane (Beatrice Osborn, 1887-1962) of the woman writer was ex-wife of Wright. After remarried, Hilary and Fane collaborated short stories published in The Sydney Mail, The Sydney Morning Herald and other magazines. Hilary was a friendship with Christopher Brennan. Brennan had spent in Hilary's house more than a year to around 1926.[2]
In 1939, Hilary died in Manly, New South Wales.[3] Edward J. O'Brien was listed along the name of Hilary with Henry Handel Richardson and Alan Marshall as one of the excellent short story writer in Australia.[4]
Works
- The Happy Vagabond (1928, Co-author of Margaret Fane)
- Bail Up!: Ned Kelly, Bushranger (1939)
Introduction
- For the Term of His Natural Life (by Marcus Clarke, 1929 edition)
See also
Notes
- ^ Sharkey (2012), p2.
- ^ "Brennan, Christopher John (1870–1932)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "MR. HILARY LOFTING". NLA Trove. The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 May 1939. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "Hilary Lofting". AustLit. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
References
- Michael Sharkey / Romantic and modern: country and city in the short stories of Margaret Fane and Hilary Lofting, Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, Vol 12, No 3 (2012)
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