Patrick White

The 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Patrick White, a novelist whose work consistently challenged the prevailing realist prose traditions of his native Australia. His literary output spanned multiple decades, encompassing complex explorations of identity, personal experience, and the friction between the singular individual and the broader, often conformist, social landscape of his time.

Early Life and Education

Born in Knightsbridge, London, on 28 May 1912, White was the son of a wealthy sheep grazier. He returned to Australia as an infant, though he was later sent to England to continue his education at Cheltenham College. His relationship with his schooling was contentious, marked by a sense of isolation and a burgeoning awareness of his own identity. Following his time at Cheltenham, he enrolled at King's College, Cambridge, in 1932 to study modern languages, where he began writing poetry and prose while developing an appreciation for European literary modernism.

THE FREE TEST

How high is yours?

Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.

Take the IQ test →

War and Creative Development

After graduating in 1935, White remained in London to pursue a career as a writer. His literary trajectory was interrupted by World War II, during which he served as an intelligence officer in the Royal Air Force. While stationed in Alexandria in 1941, he formed a lasting partnership with Manoly Lascaris. Upon his return to Australia in 1948, he purchased a farm near Sydney, a move that preceded the publication of the works that secured his critical reputation, including The Tree of Man and the novel Voss.

Literary Impact and Public Engagement

White's influence extended to the Australian theatre with plays such as The Season at Sarsaparilla and A Cheery Soul. Moving to Centennial Park in 1964, his later career was defined by his output of novels such as The Eye of the Storm and The Twyborn Affair, as well as his 1981 memoir, Flaws in the Glass. Beyond his writing, he became a visible participant in public affairs, advocating for Aboriginal self-determination, environmental preservation, and nuclear disarmament, while actively opposing the Vietnam War.