Herbert, Xavier (1901-1984), an Australian author, gained a major reputation when his novel Capricornia was published in 1938. It tells the story of a boy of both Aboriginal and European descent struggling to find self-respect in the Northern Territory society. Although the novel deals with the inhumane treatment of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, it has a strong comic element. Herbert’s other fiction was less successful than Capricornia. His other works include the novels Seven Emus (1959), Soldiers’ Women (1961), and Poor Fellow My Country (1975). His short stories were collected in Larger Than Life (1963). Herbert wrote an autobiography, Disturbing Element (1983).
Alfred Francis Xavier Herbert was born on May 15, 1901, at Port Hedland in Western Australia. He studied pharmacy and also worked as a sailor, aviator, miner, stock rider, and deep sea diver. In 1935, he became acting superintendent of the Kahlin Aboriginal Compound, a reserve area set up to house Aboriginal people from the area in and near Darwin. His time there helped inspire him to write Capricornia. Herbert died on Nov. 10, 1984.
