AustLit

The chemist and polymath Oscar Mendelsohn consolidated his social interests and intellectual pursuits by establishing a small journal of opinion in 1946. The magazine was known as View for the first three monthly instalments, but was renamed Focus for the June number due to a clash with a Brisbane magazine of the same name.

The inaugural editorial argued that 'There are few, if any, journals in Australia catering for intellectuals and presenting a point of view unbiased by party political prejudices or powerful sectional interests.' Attempting to fill this gap, Mendelsohn drew on a network of correspondents in Australia and overseas to write articles of general interest on politics, music, theatre, books and fine dining. To encourage readers to contribute articles, several essay competitions were run with topics such as 'Should the post of Governor-General of Australia be retained?' and 'Discuss the White Australia Policy'. Regular contributions from E. J. Brady sustained the magazine's literary section, accompanied by drama criticism from Allan Ashbolt and others. Other contributors included Elizabeth Bering, John McKellar, Harry Hooton, Herbery Eisen and Victor Kennedy.

Announcing plans for expansion in December 1946, Focus seemed to be growing in strength, but growing costs (particularly paper) must have caused financial difficulty during the following twelve months. Focus ceased production after the May issue of 1948.