Canonical Australian authors

Christesen’s internationalism did not diminish the support he gave to Australian writers. Presented here are three letters which exemplify Christesen’s warm friendship with local authors. The first is to poet, essayist and critic Nettie Palmer, dated 4 November 1942. It is a long letter, in which Christesen details the difficulties and successes of the journal’s first two years. On the final page, he writes: ‘Miles is an uncertain quality. He is young, immature. But he has the goods and will in time produce good work. He recently lost his mother, poor lad.’ (It is almost certain Christensen is referencing Miles Franklin here, though he seems unaware of her gender, and the fact that she was fourteen years his senior.)

In the second letter, novelist Christina Stead tells Christesen about a review she has been commissioned to write about Virginia Woolf’s non-fiction prose. She takes issue with Woolf’s love of Austen - explaining that as an Australian, she cannot understand the novel of manners.