Palmer, Edward Vance

Palmer, Edward Vance 

(pen name Rann Daly). Born Aug. 28, 1885, in Bundaberg; died July 15, 1959, in Melbourne. Australian writer.

Palmer’s first book was the collection of short stories and sketches The World of Men (1915). His plays, presented by the literary and theatrical group the Pioneer Players (until 1926), laid the foundation of Australian drama (the collection The Black Horse and Other Plays, 1924). His novels, including The Man Hamilton (1928), Men Are Human (1930), and The Passage (1930), form an epic of the working people of Australia. Palmer was one of the founders of the Australian social novel. His trilogy Golconda (1948), Seedtime (1957), and The Big Fellow (1959) is a realistic history of the workers’ movement in Australia. His short-story collections, including Let the Birds Fly (1955) and The Rainbow-bird (1957), are characterized by lyricism, emotional intensity, and psychological insight.

WORKS

The Legend of the Nineties. Melbourne, 1954.
Intimate Portraits and Other Pieces. [Melbourne, 1969.]
In Russian translation:
Serebristyi dub. Moscow, 1958.
Sem ‘ia Suein. Moscow, 1971.

REFERENCES

Waten, J. “Three of V. Palmer’s.” Overland. 1958, no. 12. Meanjin, 1959, no. 2.
Green, H. M. A History of Australian Literature. Sydney-London-Melbourne, 1966.
Heseltine, H. P. Vance Palmer. [St. Lucia, 1970.]