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Max Harris Max Harris i(A12136 works by) (a.k.a. Maxwell Henley Harris)
Born: Established: 13 Apr 1921 Adelaide, South Australia, ; Died: Ceased: Jan 1995 Adelaide, South Australia,
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Max Harris was born in Adelaide and lived in Mt. Gambier until he won a scholarship to attend St Peter's College where he distinguished himself in sports and academics. Before entering the University of Adelaide in 1939, Harris worked as a copy boy at the Adelaide News and saw his poetry included in the first Jindyworobak Anthology. The Jindyworobak Club published Harris's first book of poetry in 1940 but he was impatient with the limits of the Jindyworobak movement and immersed himself in modernism.

Harris published a number of volumes of poetry and prose and one experimental novel in his life-time, but he is best-known as a columnist and for his part in establishing several important periodicals. In the 1940s he established and co-edited the radical literary and artistic journal Angry Penguins which has become renowned as the site of the Ern Malley hoax, and edited Ern Malley's Journal. Despite the embarrassment and prosecution for indecency that resulted from this hoax, Harris continued his literary career, co-founding Australian Letters and the Australian Book Review in the 1950s and 1960s respectively. He was also involved with Geoffrey Dutton (qv) and Brian Stonier in the establishment of Sun Books, and later had his own small imprint known as Maximus Books.

Harris's contribution to Australian culture has been significant. As long-time owner of Adelaide's Mary Martin bookshop, Harris participated actively in the city's literary circles. This influence was extended in the 1960s when he began a thirty-year career as writer and columnist for several newspapers and periodicals, including the Australian, Adelaide's Sunday Mail and the Bulletin. Many of these pieces have been collected and Harris has collaborated in other publications, including biographies and a collection of articles on Australian English.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Australian Book Review ABR 1961 Kensington Park : ABR Publications , Z887646 1961 periodical (584 issues)

The Australian Book Review (ABR) was established in 1961 to provide a forum for the review of new Australian books. Editors, Max Harris and Geoffrey Dutton, planned to 'notice' or review every new Australian book, but this desire proved difficult to realise due to a rising number of books and the difficulty of defining what an Australian book was. Nevertheless, ABR employed a range of reviewers to provide general readers with authoritative assessments of important books. These reviewers included Frank Kellaway, Olaf Ruhen, Vale Lindsay, Tom Shapcott, Brian Dibble, Bruce Beaver and Don Watson.

Rosemary Wighton became co-editor in 1962 after acting as associate editor for a short time. She and Harris remained co-editors of ABR until 1973 when the magazine ceased operation after finding it increasingly difficult to meet production costs. An attempt was made by the newly formed National Book Council (NBC) to buy ABR, but, due to legal technicalities, this was not possible at that time. In 1978, John McLaren convinced the NBC to revive ABR and the magazine was adopted as the official organ of the NBC.

John McLaren was appointed editor, proceeding in a manner similar to the first series by attempting to review all Australian books; but he also faced problems of space and definition. In 1986 Kerryn Goldsworthy replaced McLaren as editor, and introduced a stronger concentration on women's issues. Louise Adler followed Goldsworthy as editor in 1988 and attempted to provoke debate by commissioning controversial reviews, but her term concluded within twelve months. Rosemary Sorenson was appointed editor in 1989, bringing a lighter tone and a desire to attract a new readership with younger writers. Sorenson was assisted by major sponsorship from Telecom, allowing her to fund a series of essays. While ABR had always published features on various topics, the sponsorship gave the essays a more significant place. The essay feature has continued with similar sponsorship from the National Library of Australia and La Trobe University.

Helen Daniel edited ABR from 1994 until her death in 2000. She lifted the profile of the magazine by organising several series of public forums and encouraged new writers with competitions for fiction and reviewing. During this time, the NBC wound down its operations after a significant proportion of its government funding was withdrawn. This had an immediate effect on the stability of ABR, forcing the magazine to separate from its parent body and publish independently.

Peter Rose was appointed editor in January 2001 and has since expanded the scope of ABR by actively commissioning poetry and fiction. Rose also developed a sponsorship scheme to support the work of ABR. In 2002 La Trobe University became the Chief Sponsor of ABR, with the National Library of Australia as its National Sponsor. Three years later Flinders University became another key sponsor and in 2007 the wealth management group Ord Minnett took on the role of exclusive corporate sponsor.

2021 recipient The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Cultural Fund Grants for Organisations Commentary, theatre and visual arts reviews
2020 recipient The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Cultural Fund Grants for Organisations Two grants, in May (Commentary on cultural, political and social issues) and in July (ABR Arts – Theatre and visual arts reviews).
y separately published work icon Australian Book Review ABR 1961 Kensington Park : ABR Publications , Z887646 1961 periodical (584 issues)

The Australian Book Review (ABR) was established in 1961 to provide a forum for the review of new Australian books. Editors, Max Harris and Geoffrey Dutton, planned to 'notice' or review every new Australian book, but this desire proved difficult to realise due to a rising number of books and the difficulty of defining what an Australian book was. Nevertheless, ABR employed a range of reviewers to provide general readers with authoritative assessments of important books. These reviewers included Frank Kellaway, Olaf Ruhen, Vale Lindsay, Tom Shapcott, Brian Dibble, Bruce Beaver and Don Watson.

Rosemary Wighton became co-editor in 1962 after acting as associate editor for a short time. She and Harris remained co-editors of ABR until 1973 when the magazine ceased operation after finding it increasingly difficult to meet production costs. An attempt was made by the newly formed National Book Council (NBC) to buy ABR, but, due to legal technicalities, this was not possible at that time. In 1978, John McLaren convinced the NBC to revive ABR and the magazine was adopted as the official organ of the NBC.

John McLaren was appointed editor, proceeding in a manner similar to the first series by attempting to review all Australian books; but he also faced problems of space and definition. In 1986 Kerryn Goldsworthy replaced McLaren as editor, and introduced a stronger concentration on women's issues. Louise Adler followed Goldsworthy as editor in 1988 and attempted to provoke debate by commissioning controversial reviews, but her term concluded within twelve months. Rosemary Sorenson was appointed editor in 1989, bringing a lighter tone and a desire to attract a new readership with younger writers. Sorenson was assisted by major sponsorship from Telecom, allowing her to fund a series of essays. While ABR had always published features on various topics, the sponsorship gave the essays a more significant place. The essay feature has continued with similar sponsorship from the National Library of Australia and La Trobe University.

Helen Daniel edited ABR from 1994 until her death in 2000. She lifted the profile of the magazine by organising several series of public forums and encouraged new writers with competitions for fiction and reviewing. During this time, the NBC wound down its operations after a significant proportion of its government funding was withdrawn. This had an immediate effect on the stability of ABR, forcing the magazine to separate from its parent body and publish independently.

Peter Rose was appointed editor in January 2001 and has since expanded the scope of ABR by actively commissioning poetry and fiction. Rose also developed a sponsorship scheme to support the work of ABR. In 2002 La Trobe University became the Chief Sponsor of ABR, with the National Library of Australia as its National Sponsor. Three years later Flinders University became another key sponsor and in 2007 the wealth management group Ord Minnett took on the role of exclusive corporate sponsor.

2021 recipient The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Cultural Fund Grants for Organisations Commentary, theatre and visual arts reviews
2020 recipient The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Cultural Fund Grants for Organisations Two grants, in May (Commentary on cultural, political and social issues) and in July (ABR Arts – Theatre and visual arts reviews).
y separately published work icon Australian Book Review ABR 1961 Kensington Park : ABR Publications , Z887646 1961 periodical (584 issues)

The Australian Book Review (ABR) was established in 1961 to provide a forum for the review of new Australian books. Editors, Max Harris and Geoffrey Dutton, planned to 'notice' or review every new Australian book, but this desire proved difficult to realise due to a rising number of books and the difficulty of defining what an Australian book was. Nevertheless, ABR employed a range of reviewers to provide general readers with authoritative assessments of important books. These reviewers included Frank Kellaway, Olaf Ruhen, Vale Lindsay, Tom Shapcott, Brian Dibble, Bruce Beaver and Don Watson.

Rosemary Wighton became co-editor in 1962 after acting as associate editor for a short time. She and Harris remained co-editors of ABR until 1973 when the magazine ceased operation after finding it increasingly difficult to meet production costs. An attempt was made by the newly formed National Book Council (NBC) to buy ABR, but, due to legal technicalities, this was not possible at that time. In 1978, John McLaren convinced the NBC to revive ABR and the magazine was adopted as the official organ of the NBC.

John McLaren was appointed editor, proceeding in a manner similar to the first series by attempting to review all Australian books; but he also faced problems of space and definition. In 1986 Kerryn Goldsworthy replaced McLaren as editor, and introduced a stronger concentration on women's issues. Louise Adler followed Goldsworthy as editor in 1988 and attempted to provoke debate by commissioning controversial reviews, but her term concluded within twelve months. Rosemary Sorenson was appointed editor in 1989, bringing a lighter tone and a desire to attract a new readership with younger writers. Sorenson was assisted by major sponsorship from Telecom, allowing her to fund a series of essays. While ABR had always published features on various topics, the sponsorship gave the essays a more significant place. The essay feature has continued with similar sponsorship from the National Library of Australia and La Trobe University.

Helen Daniel edited ABR from 1994 until her death in 2000. She lifted the profile of the magazine by organising several series of public forums and encouraged new writers with competitions for fiction and reviewing. During this time, the NBC wound down its operations after a significant proportion of its government funding was withdrawn. This had an immediate effect on the stability of ABR, forcing the magazine to separate from its parent body and publish independently.

Peter Rose was appointed editor in January 2001 and has since expanded the scope of ABR by actively commissioning poetry and fiction. Rose also developed a sponsorship scheme to support the work of ABR. In 2002 La Trobe University became the Chief Sponsor of ABR, with the National Library of Australia as its National Sponsor. Three years later Flinders University became another key sponsor and in 2007 the wealth management group Ord Minnett took on the role of exclusive corporate sponsor.

2021 recipient The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Cultural Fund Grants for Organisations Commentary, theatre and visual arts reviews
2020 recipient The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Cultural Fund Grants for Organisations Two grants, in May (Commentary on cultural, political and social issues) and in July (ABR Arts – Theatre and visual arts reviews).

Known archival holdings

2 boxes. Articles, essays, poems, papers concerning the Ern Malley literary hoax, copies of Harris' books, including The vegetative eye, The Coorong and Drama from the sky. Contents list available. Adelaide University Barr Smith Library (SA)
Last amended 30 Sep 2008 10:58:58
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