Marian H. Weigall grew up in East St Kilda, Melbourne. She was the daughter of A. S. H. Weigall, sister of Joan Lindsay and Theyre Hamilton Weigall, sister-in-law of Daryl Lindsay (qq.v.) and cousin and close friend of Martin Boyd (q.v.).
After graduating from the University of Melbourne, she left Australia in about 1921, intending to complete further study in Europe. She met and married her husband, academic Hans Pollak, in Europe: both before and after her marriage, she lived in France, Sweden, Vienna and London. A newspaper report written when she returned to Australia noted that 'She speaks French, German and Swedish fluently and her knowledge of modern literature is extensive as Danish and Norwegian reading is possible with her command of Swedish' ('Through Australian Eyes'). While living in Sweden, she completed translation work in collaboration with the Anglo-Swedish Literary Foundation (established by George Bernard Shaw with his Noble Prize money), which aimed to published Swedish works in English. She also completed a translation of 'La Marseillaise', which was widely published in Australian newspapers in the early years of World War I (see, for example, this publication in the Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record).
She lived in Austria for many years with her husband Hans Pollak, but were subject to an extended period of harassment by Nazi regime:
They were not permitted to leave Vienna and yet did not know from day to day whether freedom was theirs or not. They were finally allowed to depart but only after the complete confiscation of her husband's savings and effects and when her own private money which was in London was in Nazi hands. ('Through Australian Eyes')
They came to Australia and lived in Perth, where Weigall's husband worked for many years in the Department of German at the University of Western Australia. Weigall herself worked as a lecturer, and completed radio work for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
Sources:
'Through Australian Eyes: Impressions of Europe', West Australian, 12 February 1941, p.10.
