Bertram Stevens | |
|---|---|
 Stevens by David Low | |
| Born | Bertram William Mathyson Francis Stevens (1872-10-08)8 October 1872 |
| Died | 14 February 1922(1922-02-14) (aged 49) Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 1874-1921 |
| Notable works | An Anthology of Australian Verse |
Bertram William Mathyson Francis Stevens (8 October 1872 – 14 February 1922) was an Australian journal editor (Single Tax;Native Companion;Art in Australia;Lone Hand); literary andart critic; and anthologist (An Anthology of Australian Verse [which contained five poems byHenry Lawson];The Golden Treasury of Australian Verse).[1]
Stevens was born atInverell, New South Wales, the eldest child of William Mathison Stevens and his wife Marian,née Cafe, fromQueanbeyan.[1] By 1882 Stevens moved with his family toNewtown,Sydney where he was educated at public schools. Stevens was an avid reader and developed a wide knowledge and culture. In 1895 he began a fifteen-year period as a solicitor's clerk and it was intended that he should study law. During this time Stevens worked as a freelance journalist, coming into contact with a number of literary figures, he editedMy Sundowner and other Poems (1904) byJohn Farrell with a memoir. Stevens preparedAn Anthology of Australian Verse (1906), in which he was hampered by copyright restrictions, but he had a much freer hand inThe Golden Treasury of Australian Verse (1909), the first anthology of Australasian verse of any importance. In the same year he had the difficult task of succeedingAlfred Stephens as editor of the 'Red Page' ofThe Bulletin.David Scott Mitchell gave him access to his library of Australiana.
At the end of 1911 Stevens became editor of theLone Hand and conducted this journal for seven years. In 1916 Stevens was one of the founders and joint-editor (withSydney Ure Smith) ofArt in Australia until his death. He also did literary criticism forThe Sydney Mail and other journals, published editions of Australian poets, prepared other anthologies, and edited books on leading Australian artists. Much of his literary work is listed in Serle'sBibliography of Australasian Poetry and Verse and Miller'sAustralian Literature.
Stevens campaigned for the land policies ofHenry George, temporarily winning Henry Lawson to the cause. He was a founding member of theDawn and Dusk Club in 1899 and of the Casuals Club in 1906.[1] Stevens was deeply involved with attempts at rehabilitating Henry Lawson atYanco, New South Wales andEdwin Brady's property atMallacoota, Victoria.
Stevens died suddenly of cerebral haemorrhage and chronic nephritis at Sydney, on 14 February 1922.[1] He left a widow, two sons and a daughter.Henry Lawson wrote a warm confessional tribute inThe Bulletin.[1] At the time of his death he was vice-president of the New South Wales Institute of Journalists. He had been preparingA History of Australian Literature for some years before his death, but this was never published. Many of his papers are at theMitchell library, Sydney.
Media related toBertram Stevens (critic) at Wikimedia Commons
.svg)
