Alan Marshall
Alan Marshall (1902-1984) was an influential Australian author known for his autobiographical works and contributions to literature that highlighted the experiences of individuals overcoming adversity. Born in Noorat, Victoria, he contracted polio at a young age, which left him with lifelong mobility challenges. Marshall's literary career began after working as an accountant and journalist; he published his first book, *These Are My People*, in 1944. His most famous work, *I Can Jump Puddles* (1955), became a bestseller, selling over three million copies internationally and being translated into thirty languages.
In addition to fiction, Marshall wrote nonfiction about Australian history and culture, and he was among the first non-Indigenous writers to document Aboriginal stories and legends. He received numerous accolades, including the Australian Literature Society's prize for a short story and recognition from the Soviet government for his efforts to promote friendship between Australia and the USSR. In honor of his legacy, the Alan Marshall Short Story Award is given annually in Eltham. His diverse body of work continues to resonate with readers, reflecting themes of resilience and cultural connection.
Alan Marshall
Australian novelist, short fiction writer, autobiographer, and nonfiction writer.
- Born: May 2, 1902
- Birthplace: Noorat, Victoria, Australia
- Died: January 21, 1984
- Place of death:Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Biography
Alan Marshall was born on May 2, 1902, in the small town of Noorat, Victoria, Australia, to William Bertred and Adameina Henrietta (Leister) Marshall. At the age of six Marshall was stricken with polio. After an extended period of illness when many thought he would not survive, he was bedridden but recovered; however, Marshall would spend the rest of his life requiring assistance to walk. Along with his early battle to survive, and the resulting difficulties that followed, Marshall’s parents were extremely influential in the shaping of his views, which are evident in his literature. As a horse- breaker and drover, Marshall’s father, William Bertred, developed a lucid honesty, gentle tenacity, and a connection between intellectual and moral issues that he applied to his work, which involved the testing and active confrontation of humans and nature. Much of Marshall’s work reflects this approach to life as he presents personal stories of individuals who triumph over difficulties.
From 1922 to 1939, Marshall used his degree from the city business college in Victoria, Australia to work as an accountant and clerk before becoming a published author. Marshall believed, from the age of eight, that he would someday write books; however, it was not achieved until the publication of his first book, These Are My People, in 1944. Among the frequent rejections of his early career, Marshall published various short stories, including “A Little Son,” which won the Australian Literature Society’s prize for the best short story of 1933.
While waiting to achieve success as a writer, Marshall worked as a journalist writing an advice column for the lovelorn called Allan Marshall’s Casebook that was published in the Melbourne Argus, with some interruptions, for nearly twenty years from 1938 to 1958. Marshall also wrote hundreds of humorous sketches for various Australian magazines and newspapers. Many of these sketches were collected and published in Bumping into Friends and Pull Down the Blind.
Marshall’s short stories, which he wrote throughout his career, were ultimately published as collections. In addition to these short story-collections, Marshall wrote nonfiction history and travel books about his beloved homeland and its people. Marshall was one of the first non-aborigine writers to publish stories about Australian Aboriginals and transcribe their legends. However, the best-known of all of Marshall’s works are his autobiographical novels: I Can Jump Puddles, 1955; This is the Grass, 1962; and In Mine Own Heart, 1963. I Can Jump Puddles has sold more than three million copies around the world and been translated into thirty languages; moreover, it has been adapted for film and television.
In addition to the Australian Literature Society’s prize for the best short story, “A Little Son,” Marshall was recognized for his important contribution to promoting friendly relations between Australia and the USSR. As Chairman of the Australia-USSR Friendship Society, Marshall worked toward improving relations between these two countries, and in 1977 the Soviet government awarded Marshall with the Order of Friendship among Nations. In honor of Marshall’s prestige as an author, the Alan Marshall Short Story Award is presented annually in Eltham.
Author Works
Long Fiction:
How Beautiful Are Thy Feet, 1949
I Can Jump Puddles, 1955
This Is the Grass, 1962
In Mine Own Heart, 1963
Nonfiction:
These Are My People, 1944
Ourselves Writ Strange, 1948 (also known as These Were My Tribesmen)
People of the Dreamtime, 1952
The Gay Provider: The Myer Story, 1961
In Mine Own Heart, 1963
Pioneers and Painters: One Hundred Years of Eltham and Its Shire, 1971
Alan Marshall Talking, 1978
Alan Marshall's Australia, 1981
Alan Marshall's Battlers, 1983
Nonfiction (humor):
Pull Down the Blind, 1949
Bumping into Friends, 1950
Short Fiction:
"A Little Son", 1933
Tell Us About the Turkey, Jo, 1946
How's Andy Going, 1956
Short Stories, 1973 (also known as Wild Red Horses)
Four Sunday Suits, and Other Stories, 1975
The Complete Stories of Alan Marshall, 1977
Bibliography
McLaren, John. "Marshall, Alan (1902–1984)." Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, 2012, adb.anu.edu.au/biography/marshall-alan-14935. Accessed 21 June 2017. An overview of Marshall's life and works.
McLaren, John. "Alan Marshall: Trapped in His Own Image." Life Writing, vol. 1, no. 2, 2004, pp. 85–99. Discusses Marshall's relationship to the public image of himself as an author, particularly late in his career.
Torre, Stephen. "The Short Story Since 1950." The Cambridge History of Australian Literature, edited by Peter Pierce, Cambridge UP, 2009, pp. 419–51. Discusses the style and themes of Marshall's short stories in the context of the evolution of the short story in Australian literature between the 1950s and the early twenty-first century.