Boyd, Martin

▪ Australian author

in full  Martin à Beckett Boyd , pseudonym  Martin Mills  

born June 10, 1893, Lucerne, Switz.

died June 3, 1972, Rome

      Anglo-Australian novelist, best known for The Montforts (1928), a novel noted for its vigorous and humorous characterizations.

      Boyd spent his childhood in Victoria, Australia, was educated in Melbourne, then travelled to England, where he served during World War I. After the war he returned to Australia for a few years but went back to England again. His first three novels were published under the pen name Martin Mills; thereafter he used his real name. The Montforts, his only completely Australian novel, is the saga of several generations of an English family that migrated to Victoria during pioneer days. The Picnic (1937) and Lucinda Brayford (1946) portray Australian characters but are set almost entirely in England. He wrote two volumes of memoirs: A Single Flame (1939), largely concerned with his youth and war experiences, and the well-received Day of My Delight (1965).

Additional Reading

Brenda Niall, Martin Boyd: A Life (1988, reissued 2004).

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