Gordon, Adam Lindsay

Gordon, Adam Lindsay

▪ Australian author
born October 19, 1833, Faial, Azores, Portugal
died June 24, 1870, Brighton, Victoria, Australia

      one of the first poets to write in a distinctly Australian idiom.

      The son of a retired military officer, Gordon was so wild as a youth that his father sent him from England to South Australia, where he became a horsebreaker and gained a reputation as a fine steeplechase rider. He began writing sporting verses for Victoria newspapers and served for a year and a half in the South Australian House of Assembly. While in South Australia he published two volumes of poems, Sea Spray and Smoke Drift (1867) and Ashtaroth (1867); neither book had much impact. Early in 1868 Gordon sustained a serious riding injury and suffered the loss of his only child, Annie. His wife left him later that year. In 1869 he moved to Brighton, near Melbourne, where his wife rejoined him, and there he published a third volume of poetry, Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes (1870). Further misfortune (another serious riding injury and the loss of his claim to a family estate in Scotland) befell him, and he suffered severe depression. The day after Bush Ballads was published, he shot himself on the beach near Brighton.

      Gordon's strong rhythms and homespun philosophy make his poetry memorable. His work eventually was widely accepted, and some of his lines have been adopted into the Australian vernacular.

Additional Reading
C.F. MacRae, Adam Lindsay Gordon (1968); W.H. Wilde, Adam Lindsay Gordon (1972); Geoffrey Hutton, Adam Lindsay Gordon: The Man and the Myth (1978, reissued 1996); Ian F. McLaren, Adam Lindsay Gordon: A Comprehensive Bibliography (1986).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • GORDON, Adam Lindsay (1833-1870) — poet was born at Fayal in the Azores on 19 October 1833. His father, Captain Adam Durnford Gordon, had married his first cousin, Harriet Gordon, and both were descended from Adam of Gordon of the ballad, and were connected with other… …   Dictionary of Australian Biography

  • Gordon, Adam Lindsay — (1833 1870)    Poet, was b. in the Azores, the s. of an officer in the army. He went to Australia, where he had a varied career in connection with horses and riding, for which he had a passion. He betook himself to the Bush, got into financial… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Adam Lindsay Gordon — (19 October 1833 – 24 June 1870) was an Australian poet, jockey and politician.Early lifeGordon was born at Fayal in the Azores, son of Captain Adam Durnford Gordon, had married his first cousin, Harriet Gordon, and both were descended from Adam… …   Wikipedia

  • Adam Lindsay Gordon — Melbourne monument:: Life is mainly froth and bubble Two things stand like stone Kindness in another’s trouble. Courage in your own. Adam Lindsay Gordon, (19 octobre 1833 24 juin 1870) était un poè …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Adam Lindsay Gordon — Statue in Melbourne Adam Lindsay Gordon (* 19. Oktober 1833 auf den Azoren; † 24. Juni 1870) war ein australischer Dichter und gilt als Australiens Nationaldichter …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Adam Gordon — may refer to: *Lord Adam Gordon (British army officer) (1726–1801), Scottish soldier and politician *Lord Adam Gordon (1909–1984), British royal courtier *Adam Lindsay Gordon, Australian poet, jockey and politicianee also*Gordon Adam, engineer… …   Wikipedia

  • Gordon (Name) — Gordon ist ein Familienname sowie ein männlicher Vorname. Der Familienname Gordon kommt ursprünglich aus dem Schottischen und bedeutet „Großer Hügel“. Der Vorname ist von diesem Familiennamen abgeleitet und entstand als Ehrenbezeugung an General… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gordon, Australian Capital Territory — Gordon Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Population: 7,869 (2006 cen …   Wikipedia

  • Gordon [2] — Gordon, 1) Johann, kaiserlicher Oberst, Schotte von Geburt und Calvinist, stieg unter Wallenstein vom gemeinen Soldaten zum Oberstleutnant in einem Terzkyschen Regiment auf. 1634 Kommandant von Eger, ließ er zwar Wallenstein in die Festung ein,… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Gordon — I. /ˈgɔdn/ (say gawdn) noun 1. Adam Lindsay, 1833–70, Australian poet and horseman, born in the Azores; author of the verse collection Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes (1870). 2. Charles George ( Chinese Gordon ), 1833–85, British general and… …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”