Stewart, Douglas (1913-1985), an Australian poet, dramatist, and writer, became famous for his verse plays. Many of his critics consider Stewart the most important lyric poet in Australian literature. He had a strong influence on Australian literature with his acclaimed re-creations of the country’s past. Stewart also wrote short stories and literary criticism.
Stewart’s best known play, The Fire on the Snow (1944), recounts the tragedy of the last days of Robert Falcon Scott, the British Antarctic explorer, in 1912. It is a forceful portrayal of human courage, nobility, and endurance. To some extent, it explores the concept of leadership. The simple construction of the play helps its dramatic realism. The play was originally written for radio. It is presented by voices representing the five men of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole and the voice of the announcer, who comments on the group’s progress across the ice.
Stewart’s first published play, Ned Kelly (1943), was a reconstruction of the bushranging days. The last days of the Kelly gang are viewed through the eyes of a clergyman. The play is more complex than The Fire on the Snow. It has a more interesting exploration of character. Stewart evokes the historical circumstances forcefully and makes the final statement that the Kellys were victims of their environment. A second radio play, The Golden Lover (1944), retells a Māori legend. In this play, Stewart emphasizes the contrast between dreams and the need to accept reality. The play Shipwreck (1947) deals with the wreck of the Dutch navigator Francois Pelsaert’s ship Batavia off the coast of Western Australia in 1629. The theme of the play concerns law contrasted with lawlessness.
Stewart published several volumes of verse. The most notable collections include Dosser in Springtime (1946) and The Birdsville Track (1955). Critics consider Stewart’s later collections to contain his best verse. These poems are light but are charged with Stewart’s appreciation of the Australian bush. He built up detail to present a single, clear image. “The Silkworms” is the best-known example. It is considered distinctive in its delicacy of feeling and expressive verse form. The Birdsville Track contains the finest desert poems in Australian literature in their portrayal of the arid landscape. His Collected Poems: 1936-1967 was published in 1967. Poems: A Selection was published in 1972. His short stories were collected in A Girl with Red Hair (1944). His criticism appears in The Flesh and the Spirit: An Outlook on Literature (1948) and The Broad Stream: Aspects of Australian Literature (1975). His essays were published in The Seven Rivers (1960). Stewart described the first 25 years of his life in the autobiography Springtime in Taranaki (1983).
Douglas Alexander Stewart was born on May 6, 1913, in Eltham, New Zealand. He worked as a journalist in New Zealand before joining The Bulletin in Sydney in 1939. He served as literary editor of the magazine from 1940 to 1961. He was literary adviser to the Australian publishing company Angus and Robertson from 1960 to 1973. He died on Feb. 14, 1985.
