Alec Derwent Hope (21 July 190713 July 2000) was an Australian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

essayist An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

known for his

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

slant. He was also a critic, teacher and academic. He was referred to in an American journal as "the 20th century's greatest 18th-century poet".

Life

Hope was born in

Cooma Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega, New South Wales, Bega with the Riverina. ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. His father was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister and his mother a teacher.Gia Metherell, Obituary: "Poet, teacher and fearless civiliser". ''The Canberra Times'', 14 July 2000, p. 13 He was educated partly at home and in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, where they moved in 1911. Three years later they moved to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. He attended

Fort Street High School Fort Street High School (FSHS) is a Education in Australia#Government schools, New South Wales government run, Mixed-sex school, co-educational, Selective school (New South Wales), academically selective, secondary school, secondary day school, ...

, the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

whilst residing at St. Andrew's College and then the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

on a scholarship. Returning to Australia in 1931 he then trained as a teacher, and spent some time drifting. He worked as a

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

with the New South Wales Department of Labour and Industry, and as a lecturer in Education and English at Sydney Teachers' College (1937–44). He was a lecturer at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

from 1945 to 1950, and in 1951 became the first professor of English at the newly founded Canberra University College, later of the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

(ANU) when the two institutions merged. At the ANU he and Tom Inglis Moore created the first full year course in Australian literature at an Australian university. He retired from the ANU in 1968 and was appointed Emeritus Professor. He was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1972 and a Companion of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in 1981 and awarded many other honours. He died in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, having suffered

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

in his last years, and is buried at the

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the Queanbeyan-Pale ...

Lawn Cemetery.

Poet and critic

Although he was published as a poet while still young, ''The Wandering Islands'' (1955) was his first collection and all that remained of his early work after most of his manuscripts were destroyed in a fire. Its publication was delayed by concern about the effects of Hope's highly-erotic and savagely-satirical verse on the Australian public. His frequent allusions to sexuality in his work caused Douglas Stewart to dub him "Phallic Alec" in a letter to

Norman Lindsay Norman Alfred William Lindsay (22 February 1879 – 21 November 1969) was an Australian artist, etcher, sculptor, writer, art critic, novelist, cartoonist and amateur boxing, boxer. One of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of hi ...

. His influences were

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

and the Augustan poets, Auden, and Yeats. He was a polymath, very largely self-taught, and with a talent for offending his countrymen. He wrote a book of "answers" to other poems, including one in response to the poem "

To His Coy Mistress "To His Coy Mistress" is a metaphysical poem written by the English author and politician Andrew Marvell (1621–1678). It is considered one of Marvell's finest and is possibly the best recognised carpe diem poem in English. It was written d ...

" by

Andrew Marvell Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...

. The reviews he wrote in the 1940s and '50s were feared "for their acidity and intelligence. If his reviews hurt some writers –

Patrick White Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was an Australian novelist and playwright who explored themes of religious experience, personal identity and the conflict between visionary individuals and a materialistic, co ...

included – they also sharply raised the standard of literary discussion in Australia."Hart (2008) However, Hope relaxed in later years. As poet

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning se ...

writes, "The man I knew, from 1973 to 2000, was invariably gracious and benevolent". Hope wrote in a letter to the poet and academic Catherine Cole: "Now I feel I've reached the pinnacle of achievement when you equate me with one of Yeats's 'wild, wicked old men'. I'm probably remarkably wicked but not very wild, I fear too much ingrained Presbyterian caution".cited by Hart (2008) Cole suggests that Hope represented the three attributes that

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...

believed essential in a writer, "storyteller, teacher, enchanter". Hope's editor and fellow critic was David Brooks who was responsible for posthumously publishing the Selected Poetry and Prose of AD Hope in January, 2000.

Influence and impact

Kevin Hart, reviewing Catherine Cole's memoir of Hope, writes that "When A. D. Hope died in 2000 at the age of 93, Australia lost its greatest living poet". Hart goes on to say that when once asked what poets could do for Australia, Hope replied "oh not much, merely justify its existence". In 1998 a celebration of his life and works, ''The Scythe Honed Fine'', was published by the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

Private life

In 1937 he married Penelope Robinson. They had a daughter, Emily, who predeceased her parents in 1979; and two sons, Andrew and Geoffrey, who survived him. Penelope died in 1988.

Awards

* 1956:

Grace Leven Prize for Poetry The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry was an annual poetry award in Australia, given in the name of Grace Leven who died in 1922. It was established by William Baylebridge who "made a provision for an annual poetry prize in memory of 'my benefactress ...

* 1965: Britannica Australia Awards for Literature * 1966:

Australian Literature Society Gold Medal The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (ALS Gold Medal) is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by th ...

* 1967: Myer Award for Australian Poetry * 1969: Ingram Merrill Foundation Award for Literature (New York) * 1969: Levinson Prize for Poetry (Chicago) * 1969: Foundation Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australi ...

* 1972: Officer of the

(OBE) * 1976: The Age Book of the Year Award for ''A Late Picking'' * 1976: Robert Frost Award for Poetry * 1981: Companion of the

(AC) * 1989:

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

Special Award * 1993: ACT Book of the Year for ''Chance Encounters'' * Honorary doctorates from four Australian universities

Bibliography

Poetry collections

* '' The Wandering Islands'' (1955) Sydney: Edwards & Shaw. * ''Poems'' (1960) London: Hamish Hamilton * ''A.D.Hope'' (1963) Sydney:

Angus and Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

. * ''Collected Poems: 1930–1965'' (1966) Sydney: Angus and Robertson. * ''New Poems: 1965–1969'' (1969) Sydney: Angus and Robertson. * ''Dunciad Minor: An Heroik Poem'' (1970) Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. * ''Collected Poems: 1930–1970'' (1972) Sydney: Angus & Robertson. * ''Selected Poems'' (1973) Sydney: Angus & Robertson. * '' A Late Picking : Poems 1965-1974'' (1975) Sydney: Angus & Robertson. * ''A Book of Answers'' (1981) Sydney: Angus & Robertson. * ''The Age of Reason'' (1985) Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. * ''Selected Poems'' (1986) Manchester: Carcanet. * ''Orpheus'' (1991) Sydney: Angus & Robertson. * ''Selected Poems'' (1992) Sydney: Angus & Robertson/Harper Collins. * ''The shorter poems of Gaius Valerius Catullus : a new translation''; translated by A. D. Hope (2007) Blackheath N.S.W., Brandl & Schlesinger

Select individual poems

* " The Mayan Books" (1991)

Plays

* ''The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus: By Christopher Marlowe, purged and amended by A.D. Hope'' (1982) Canberra: Australian National University Press. * ''Ladies from the Sea'' (1987) Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

Fiction

* ''The Journey of Hsü Shi'' (1989) ''Phoenix Review'', No. 4.

Criticism

* "The Discursive Mode: Reflections on the Ecology of Poetry" '' Quadrant'' 1/1 (Summer 1956/57): 27–33. * ''The Structure of Verse and Prose'' (1963) Sydney: Australasian Medical Publishing Co. * ''Australian Literature 1950–1962'' (1963) Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. * ''The Cave and the Spring: Essays in Poetry'' (1965) Adelaide: Rigby. (A second edition was published in 1974 (Sydney: Sydney University Press) with changes and additions.) * ''The Literary Influence of Academies'' (1970) Sydney: Sydney University Press. * ''A Midsummer Eve's Dream: Variantions on a Theme by William Dunbar'' (1970) Canberra: Australian National University Press. * ''Henry Kendall: A Dialogue with the Past'' (1972) Surry Hills: Wentworth Press. * ''Henry Kendall'' (1973) Melbourne: Sun Books. * ''Native Companions: Essays and Comments on Australian Literature 1936–1966'' (1974) Sydney: Angus & Robertson. * ''Judith Wright'' (1975) Melbourne: Oxford University Press. * ''The Pack of Autolycus'' (1979) Canberra: Australian National University Press. * ''The New Cratylus: Notes on the Craft of Poetry'' (1979) Melbourne: Oxford University Press. * ''Directions in Australian Poetry'' (1984) Townsville: Foundation for Literary Studies.

Autobiography

* ''Chance Encounters'' (1992) Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Five Poems

Some of Alec Derwent Hope PoemsAccess to all Hope's poems
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Alex Derwent 1907 births 2000 deaths Academic staff of the University of Melbourne Australian literary critics People from Cooma Writers from New South Wales Writers from Canberra Companions of the Order of Australia Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire University of Sydney alumni 20th-century Australian poets Australian male poets ALS Gold Medal winners 20th-century Australian male writers Academic staff of the Australian National University People educated at Fort Street High School Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities