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Robert Richardson Robert Richardson i(A1236 works by)
Born: Established: 7 Jan 1850 New South Wales, ; Died: Ceased: 1901 Armidale, Armidale area, New England, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
Expatriate assertion Departed from Australia: 1886
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BiographyHistory

Robert Richardson is thought to be the first Australian-born children's writer. After completing a B.A. at the University of Sydney, Richardson became 'a well known man in colonial literature as a contributor to a host of periodicals' (Sydney Mail 19 December 1896), including Sydney Punch, and the Fairfax newspapers the Sydney Morning Herald, the Sydney Mail, and the Echo. As a journalist, he also used the pseudonym 'Roving Australian'. From the 1870s to 1900, Richardson also wrote many novels and stories for children, some with Australian backgrounds.

His place of death is given as Armidale in some sources ('Willow and Wattle', 1914) and as England in others ('The Roving Australian', 1911).

Most Referenced Works

Notes

    • COPAC Academic & National Library Catalogue attributes to Richardson The Greater Waterloo: A Love Story (1905). However, this novel is probably by an American writer with the same name.

  • Robert Richardson's poem 'Annette' (published in Willow and Wattle) was the source of lines carved by Mark Twain (with some judicious alterations) on his wife Olivia's tombstone: as such, they have sometimes been identified as by Twain.

    Source: 'A Beautiful Epitaph', Sydney Morning Herald, 13 June 1931, p.8.

Last amended 7 Mar 2019 08:21:32
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