Robert Richardson (poet)
Robert Richardson | |
|---|---|
 Robert Richardson | |
| Born | 7 January 1850 Colony of New South Wales |
| Died | 4 October 1901 (aged 51) Armidale, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | writer and store-keeper |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Years active | 1875–1901 |
Robert Richardson (1850–1901) was an Australian journalist, poet and writer for children, possibly the first Australian-born children's writer.[1] He was born in New South Wales, eldest son of John Richardson, a New South Wales politician and store-keeper, and Janet, sister of Peter Nicol Russell.[2]
Richardson completed a B.A. at the University of Sydney and later became well known for his contributions to a number of Sydney and Australian periodicals and newspapers. He was also a member of the firm of Richardson and Company, an Armidale-based millers and general store-keepers, started by his father.[3]
Mark Twain adapted the final stanza of his poem Annette for Twain's daughter's headstone.[4]
He left Australia for a life in Edinburgh in 1886 before returning to Sydney around 1894. He died in Armidale on 4 October 1901.[3][5]
Bibliography
Children's fiction
- Our Junior Mathematical Master; and, A Perilous Errand (1876)
- Black Harry, or, Lost in the Bush (1877)
- The Young Cragsman and Other Stories (1878)
- A Little Australian Girl, or, The Babes in the Bush; and, Jim : A Little Nigger (1881)
- Little Flotsam : A Story for Boys and Girls, and Other Tales (1881)
- The Best of Chums and Other Stories (1881)
- A Lighthouse Keeper for a Night and Other Stories (1881)
- The Hut in the Bush : A Tale of Australian Adventure, and Other Stories (1883)
- Adventurous Boat Voyages (1884)
Poetry
- Willow and Wattle : Poems (1893)
- Annette : Poems (used 1896)
References
- ^ Austlit - Robert Richardson
- ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography - Richardson, John (1810–1888)
- ^ a b "The Late Mr Robert Richardson" Evening News, 5 October 1901, p4
- ^ http://www.twainquotes.com/headstone.html
- ^ "Death of Mr. Robert Richardson". Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930). 5 October 1901. p. 9. Retrieved 18 April 2019.