Frank Hardy
Frank Hardy was a notable Australian novelist and political activist born into a large Irish Catholic family in Victoria, Australia, in the early 20th century. His early life was marked by economic hardship, leading him to leave school at thirteen and take on various labor jobs, which shaped his socialistic views. In 1939, he became a member of the Australian Communist Party and later served in the Australian Army during World War II, where he honed his writing skills through an army journal. Hardy's political beliefs deeply influenced his literary work, most famously in his 1950 novel, *Power Without Glory*, which critiques capitalism and explores the life of a Melbourne businessman. The novel led to a high-profile criminal libel trial after its release, which Hardy successfully defended, further solidifying his reputation as a controversial figure. Alongside his literary achievements, he was known for his activism, particularly in advocating for the rights of Aboriginal Australians and the working class. Hardy's contributions to literature and social justice continued until his death in 1994, leaving a lasting impact on Australian culture and politics.
Subject Terms
Frank Hardy
Australian novelist, playwright, short fiction writer, and political activist.
- Born: March 21, 1917
- Birthplace: Southern Cross, Victoria, Australia
- Died: January 28, 1994
- Place of death: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Biography
Frank Hardy, a twentieth century novelist and political activist, was born into a large Irish Catholic family in a small town in Victoria, Australia, later moving with his family to Bacchus Marsh, outside of Melbourne. During the depression, Hardy left school at the age of thirteen and took on various jobs: road-construction worker, fruit picker, seaman, and grocer. As a result of the experiences he had in these jobs, Hardy developed a tendency toward socialistic ideals. In 1939, he joined the Australian Communist Party.
In 1942, Hardy enlisted in the Australian Army and was posted to the Northern Territory of Darwin, Australia. During his service, Hardy wrote and edited a unit newspaper for the Australian Army and eventually became employed as an artist for the army journal titled Salt. In 1946, Hardy left the army and began working as a journalist in Melbourne. He began publishing stories, mostly under the pseudonym Ross Franklyn. He also developed a reputation as a notorious gambler and risk taker and as a vehement political activist and champion of Aboriginal rights. His political beliefs influenced his writing and led to the eventual publication of his most famous novel, Power Without Glory, self-published in 1950.
In this work, Hardy presented the faults of the capitalist system and the corruptness of the Labor Party through the semifictional story of the life of Melbourne businessman John Wren. Throughout Power Without Glory, Hardy alludes to allegations of John Wren’s criminal activities and fraudulent business practices. Many considered the book to be a thinly disguised biography.
Soon after the publication of Power Without Glory, Hardy was arrested for criminal libel. He was forced to defend his work and the debatable difference between fiction and reality in a nine-month, highly publicized trial. Hardy won the case and detailed the events of the court trial in his best seller titled, The Hard Way. After the trial, Power Without Glory was made into a widely popular television series broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission. In his later years, Hardy continued to remain active in political issues. He steadfastly spoke out against injustices to working class laborers and Australia’s indigenous people. Hardy died in 1994 in his home in Melbourne, Australia. It was said that he died peacefully, with his feet up on the table and a race-betting form in his hand.
Author Works
Drama:
Who Was Henry Larsen?, pr. 1984
Faces in the Street, pr. 1988
Mary Lives!, pr. 1992
Long Fiction:
Power Without Glory, 1950
The Four-Legged Lottery, 1958
The Outcasts of Foolgarah, 1971
But the Dead Are Many, 1975
Who Shot George Kirkland? A Novel About the Nature of Truth, 1981
The Obsession of Oscar Oswald, 1983
Warrant of Distress, 1983
The Loser Now Will Be Later to Win, 1985
Nonfiction:
The Hard Way: The Story Behind "Power Without Glory", 1961
The Unlucky Australians, 1968
Short Fiction:
The Men from Clinkapella, 1951
Legends from Benson's Valley, 1963 (also known as It's Moments like These)
Australians Have a Word for It: Short Stories from Down Under, 1964
The Yarns of Billy Borker, 1965
Billy Borker Yarns Again, 1967 (also known as The Great Australian Lover)
The Needy and the Greedy: Humorous Stories of the Racetrack, 1975
"You Nearly Had Him That Time," and Other Cricket Stories, 1978
A Frank Hardy Swag, 1982
Hardy's People, 1986
Great Australian Legends, 1988
Retreat Australia Fair, 1990
Bibliography
Adams, Paul. The Stranger from Melbourne: Frank Hardy, a Literary Biography, 1944–1975. U of Western Australia P, 1999. This biography focuses on Hardy as an author and his early works.
Armstrong, Pauline. Frank Hardy and the Making of Power Without Glory. Melbourne UP, 2000. Profiles Hardy while focusing on the circumstances behind his most famous novel.
Cerce, Danica. "Frank Hardy: Social Analyst or Man of Letters?." Antipodes, vol. 19, no. 1, 2005, p. 70–75. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.135843240&site=eds-live. Accessed 21 June 2017. Discusses critical perception of Hardy, arguing that despite little consensus overall, most critics agree on his use of social commentary with literary aspirations.
Cerce, Danica. "The Portrayal of Otherness: John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat and Frank Hardy's the Great Australian Lover and Other Stories." The Comparatist, vol. 36, 2012, p. 196. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.289620882&site=eds-live. Accessed 21 June 2017. Compares Hardy's The Great Australian Lover to John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat, focusing on their portrayals of characters separated from normal society.
Hocking, Jenny. Frank Hardy: Politics, Literature, Life. Lothian Books, 2005. This biography examines Hardy's life and career as both a significant writer and a controversial political activist.