Australian literature authors

Some critics consider him one of the most influential Australian poets of all time. Dawe received numerous poetry awards in Australia and was named an Officer of the Order of Australia. He taught literature in universities for over 30 years.

Australian literature characteristics

Dawe's poetry collection, Sometimes Gladness, sold over , copies in several printings. Bruce Dawe was born in in Fitzroy, Victoria. Dawe's paternal ancestors originated in Wyke Regis in Dorset, England. The family moved to Australia in the midth century. His mother was of Lowland Scottish ancestry - she often recited Scottish poems from her childhood.

What are the main themes of australian literature?

Dawe's parents came from farming families in Victoria. Dawe was the only one in his family to complete primary school. His parents and four siblings always encouraged him to write poetry his youngest sister also wrote poetry. As a child, Dawe attended six schools. Dawe also worked as a labourer in the Public Works Department, as a tailer-out in various Melbourne saw-mills and as a farm-hand in the Cann River valley.

In , Dawe completed his adult matriculation by part-time study. In , he enrolled at Melbourne University on a teaching scholarship. Also during , Dawe converted to Catholicism. In , Dawe returned to Melbourne, where he worked as a postman for two years and as a self-employed gardener.