Biographical writings
- Containers:
- Box 47-51, Folio-Box (unnumbered)
- Component identifier:
- Series 12
- Content Summary:
-
Only two biographies by Brady were published, but several more were written or planned. Each has been treated separately, with the published ones first.
(a) Dr Mannix, Archbishop of Melbourne (Melbourne, Keating-Wood Pty Ltd, 1934). This work was originally intended as part of a series of biographies of eminent people in Australia and other countries of the Empire, devised jointly by Arthur H. Stubbs and entitled 'Library of National Biography'. This subseries consists of some pages of manuscript by Brady, some 'unused manuscripts of M. Considine', correspondence accompanied by Brady's comments on the process of writing the biography, agreements, circulars and notes.
(b) Two Frontiers (Sydney, Frank Johnson, 1944). This story of Brady's father, Edward John, and his adventures in America and Australia, was written with the help of a Fellowship from the Commonwealth Literary Fund. A complete handwritten 'uncorrected manuscript', a complete typescript draft and correspondence, personal papers of Edward John, notes and cuttings give the full background to this publication.
(c) Biography of J.F. Archibald. In 1943 Brady sought and was eventually granted an extension of the Fellowship offered to him for Two Frontiers, in order to write this biography of the Bulletin founder. The manuscript, however, remained with publishers Frank Johnson for four years before legal action obtained its release, then subsequent submissions to other publishers met with no success. This subseries contains the initial pages of the manuscript, correspondence and notes.
(d) The Maywed Goshawk. Hugh Brady, the first Protestant Bishop of Meath, Ireland, and ancestor of Edwin James, was the subject of this planned biography, for which a vast amount of research was conducted on Ireland, sixteenth century history, genealogy of the Bradys, and ecclesiastical and political figures. Some letters, a foreword and a large quantity of notes and cuttings documents Brady's endeavour.
(e) The Library of National Biography. The agreements, correspondence and notes in this subseries outline further the developments of this proposed commercial enterprise. Some of the important public figures who replied to Brady's offers were J.H. Scullin, W. Forgan-Smith, A.G. Ogilvie, W.A. Watts, A.J.F. de Bavay, Sir Mark Sheldon, Arthur Rickard, J.H. Butters, Philip Collier and T.R. Bavin.
(f) Other plans. This subseries comprises correspondence, notes and plans for other biographical series such as 'Men of my Time'.
(g) Articles. Assembled here are articles on various literary figures such as Victor Daley, Bernard O'Dowd, George Gordon MacCrae and J.F. Archibald.
(h) Scrapbooks. Three scrapbooks of correspondence, photographs, notes and cuttings, 'Prime Ministers, Premiers and Politicians I Have Known', 'Some Big Australians' and 'Odd Men Out' give personal insights into a large number of Brady's famous literary, artistic and political contemporaries.
- Names:
- E. J. Brady
Access and use
- Parent Restrictions:
- Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2252801).
- Parent Terms of Access:
- Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
- Location of this collection:
-
Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: