Bernard O'Dowd
Bernard O'Dowd was an influential Australian poet born on April 11, 1866, in Beaufort, Victoria. A child prodigy and avid reader, he displayed remarkable intellectual capabilities from a young age, reading complex literature early in life. O'Dowd pursued studies in arts and law at the University of Melbourne and later became involved in education, although his tenure as a head teacher ended controversially due to heresy allegations. His career path included working as an assistant librarian and a draftsman for the Australian Parliament, culminating in his retirement in 1935 as chief parliamentary draftsman.
As a political and philosophical radical, O'Dowd contributed significantly to the literary and political discourse of his time. He was a member of the Melbourne Lyceum and later became editor of the Lyceum Tutor, where he published his anarchist poetry. O'Dowd was a vocal opponent of Australian federation and expressed his views through the radical journal Tocsin, which he helped establish. His poetry is noted for its philosophical depth, with collections like "Dawnward?" and "The Bush" reflecting his fervent political opinions. O'Dowd's literary legacy is marked by a commitment to using poetry as a means of education and social critique. He passed away in Melbourne on September 2, 1953.
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Bernard O'Dowd
Activist
- Born: April 11, 1866
- Birthplace: Beaufort, Victoria, Australia
- Died: September 2, 1953
- Place of death: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Biography
Australian poet Bernard Patrick O’Dowd was born in Beaufort, Victoria, Australia, on April 11, 1866. He was a child prodigy and a voracious reader; he read Milton’s Paradise Lost when he was only eight years old. He attended the University of Melbourne and studied arts and law. He was hired as a head teacher at a Catholic school in Ballarat, but he was fired for heresy. He moved to Melbourne in 1886, and found work as an assistantlibrarian in the Supreme Court Library. Later he worked as a draftsman for the Australian Parliament. He retired in 1935 as chief parliamentary draftsman.
A political and philosophical radical, O’Dowd joined the Melbourne Lyceum, the educational arm of the Australian Secular Society, in 1886. In 1888, he became editor of the Lyceum Tutor, in which he published his anarchist poem “Hoist the Flag.” In that same year, he joined the progressive Lyceum, which was composed of anarchists who had been dismissed from the less radical Melbourne Lyceum. He was a bitter opponent of Australian federation, and he helped found the radical journal Tocsin in 1897. He edited and contributed articles to Tocsin, expressing his opposition to federation and to the Boer War.
O’Dowd is known for imbuing Australian poetry with a more thoughtful, philosophical tone than it had exhibited previously. His first book of poetry, Dawnward?, was published in 1903. In it, he expressed his own fervid political opinions. He followed up this collection with The Silent Land, and Other Verses (1905) and Dominions of the Boundary (1907). In a 1909 pamphlet, he suggested that the goal of the poet should be to educate and indoctrinate his readers. The Bush, published in 1912, was a long poem about the Australian nation. His other works include the satirical Alma Venus! and Other Verses (1921) and The Poems: Collected Edition (1941). O’Dowd died in Melbourne on September 2, 1953.