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John Shaw Neilson John Shaw Neilson i(A36833 works by) (a.k.a. J. S. Neilson; Shaw Neilson; J. Shaw Neilson)
Also writes as: Donovan Blair ; S.N. ; Horace O'Hazy
Born: Established: 22 Feb 1872 Penola, Penola area, South East South Australia, South Australia, ; Died: Ceased: 12 May 1942 Melbourne, Victoria,
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

John Shaw Neilson was born at Penola, South Australia, in 1872. His parents, John Neilson and Margaret McKinnon made a meagre living as bush-workers and selectors, moving many times in search of work on surrounding stations. Neilson received only several years of schooling, but, like his father, wrote verse for local papers like the Nhill Mail. Both men published verse in the Bulletin, but the younger man established a relationship with the editor, A. G. Stephens, that encouraged further contributions and supported the publication of several volumes of poetry. The wide-open spaces and the forces of nature that Neilson experienced in his travels around Victoria inspired much of his poetry. When his eyesight began to fail in 1904, Neilson continued to produce verse with the help of others, but he also continued to work as a labourer until his supporters arranged employment in Melbourne with the Victorian Country Roads Board in 1928. Neilson worked as a messenger there until 1941 when he took extended sick leave, visiting friends in Queensland and New South Wales. Despite this leave he returned to Melbourne in poor health and died there in May 1942.


Neilson's reputation has remained strong since his death. Collections of poetry have been edited by James Devaney, Judith Wright, A. R. Chisholm and Cliff Hanna. His poetry has attracted a great deal of commentary and several biographies and collections of correspondence have been published. Neilson is regarded by many as Australia's finest lyrical poet. While many of Neilson's poems are simple and naive, critics have found in his better poems a complex mysticism that rewards close reading.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Tales We Never Hear i "Though we all alike are fashioned", Melbourne : Charles Troedel and Co. , 1894 Z459847 1894 single work poetry
1893 First Prize Australian Natives Association Literary Award Junior Poem

Known archival holdings

Albinski 165-6
National Library of Australia (ACT)
State Library of NSW (NSW)
State Library of Victoria (VIC)
Last amended 15 Apr 2016 10:00:13
Influence on:
Remembering John Shaw Neilson Erica Jolly , 1999 single work poetry
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