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Yes, it seems he's a little neglected now, especially here in Australia. From what I understand, White was rude to everyone, so Britten and Nolan should'nt have been exceptions. In another email thread I spoke of my interest in the intersection of visual art and writing; The Vivisector is the book that sent my down that path. And The Solid Mandala! I've almost finished rereading it after quite a few years. Such a sad book. The condescending attitude of Waldo to his "dill" brother Arthur is so devestating for both of them; your comment reminds me of the sequence in which Waldo causes a scene in the library where he works after catching Arthur there reading the books. You wonder whether Waldo absorbed anything of the books he read. I'd not known about Rupert Murdoch's views on White, but it figures. On Sun, Apr 27, 2008 at 3:14 PM, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Good to see dear old Patrick White recalled, Nathan. > > I remember seeing seeing a review over here once, a little after > White's death, that attacked White's whole oeuvre on the apparent > grounds that he was rude to Benjamin Britten and Sidney Nolan at a > dinner party. It said a lot about certain aspects of literary culture > in the UK. > I've always thought that anyone loathed by Rupert Murdoch is a true > friend of the human race, especially one who could serve Laurence > Olivier with a meal that had been accidentally dropped on the kitchen > floor. > I also think that The Solid Mandala, in its portrayal of the would-be > superior Waldo literally, in the book's structure, 'looking down' on > his unliterary brother, is one of the most searching examinations of > the claims of literary culture ever made. > > Best > > Dave > > 2008/4/27 Nathan Hondros <[log in to unmask]>: > > I found a marvellous quote from Patrick White. It is from his diaries and > > appears in the David Marr article in the latest edition of The Monthly > > magazine. I think it has relevance to the poet as well as the writer of > > fiction. And of course White's novels are always so full of the most > > unexpected poetry. > > > > "In a deeply felt personal relationship, it is possible to experience > > emotionally all that one never has, and perhaps never will experience in > > life. This is the answer to people who say to the novelist: how did you > know > > about something you haven't experienced yourself?" > > > > > > -- > David Bircumshaw > Website and A Chide's Alphabet > http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/ > The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html > Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk >