Frank Hardy
Encyclopedia
Francis Joseph Hardy, or Frank, (21 March 1917 – 28 January 1994) was an Australian left-wing novelist and writer best known for his controversial novel Power Without Glory
. He also was a political activist bringing the plight of Aboriginal Australians to international attention with the publication of his book, The Unlucky Australians, in 1968. He ran unsuccessfully for the Australian parliament twice.
and later moved with his family to Bacchus Marsh, west of Melbourne. His mother, Winifred, was a Roman Catholichis father, Thomas, an atheist of Welsh and English descent. In 1931 Hardy left school, aged 14, and embarked upon a series of manual jobs. According to Hardy biographer Pauline Armstrong, "his first job was as a messenger and bottlewasher at the local chemist's shop" and then Hardy worked at the local grocer. He later also did manual work "in and around Bacchus Marsh in the milk factory, digging potatoes, picking tomatoes and fruit".
There is some debate among Hardy's biographers about the relative extent Hardy personally suffered from hardships during the 1930s depression. Hardy claimed himself that he left home when he was 13 because "his dad couldn't get the dole" with him at home. However, Jim Hardy, Frank's eldest brother, wrote to the Melbourne Herald on 6 November 1983 to rebut this assertion, claiming that Frank had never had to leave homefurther noting that their "father never lost a day's work in his life". According to biographer Jenny Hocking in a more recent biography, Tom Hardy indeed did lose his job at a milk factory at the start of the Great Depression, and the family had had to move into a small rented house in Lerderderg Street.
In 1937 Radio Times published a selection of his cartoons.
in 1939. Hardy stood unsuccessfully twice as a CPA candidate for public office: in 1953 as a Senate candidate for Victoria, and in 1955 for the seat of Mackellar (NSW) in the House of Representatives.
Hardy also stood unsuccessfully for the National Committee of the CPA in 1955 and again in 1967.
in the Northern Territory
which was under "perpetual anticipation" of attack from the Japanese. Initially editing and writing a unit newspaper for the Australian army, he was employed as an artist for the army journal, Salt. Later his short stories A stranger in the camp and The man from Clinkapella won competitions and his work was accepted by Coast to Coast and the Guardian. Many of his early stories were written under the pseudonym Ross Franklyn.
for political reasons in 1963, he later joined the Society and served on its Management Committee. He played an active role in assisting the Gurindji people
in the Gurindji strike in the mid to late 1960s. The documentary film The Unlucky Australians featured Frank Hardy and the Gurindji people and was made by director producer John Goldschmidt and transmitted on the ITV Network in the UK by Associated television.
, was initially published in 1950 by Hardy himself with the assistance of Communist Party members. The novel was a fictionalised version of the life of a Melbourne
businessman, John Wren
, and was set in the fictitious Melbourne suburb of Carringbush (based on the actual suburb Collingwood
).
In 1950, Hardy was arrested for criminal libel
and had to defend Power Without Glory in a celebrated case shortly after its publication. Prosecutors alleged that Power Without Glory criminally libelled John Wren's wife by implication that she had engaged in an extramarital affair. Hardy was acquitted and it was the last criminal libel case launched in Victoria; all subsequent libel cases were civil. Hardy detailed the case in his book The Hard Way.
Power Without Glory was filmed by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in 1976 in a 26 episode television mini-series adapted by Howard Griffiths and Cliff Green.
.
Hardy was a member of the Realist Writers Group, which he represented in 1951 at the 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students
in Berlin
.
His granddaughter, Marieke Hardy
, is a writer in Melbourne.
Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory is a 1950 novel written by Australian writer Frank Hardy. It was later adapted into a mini-series by the Australian Broadcasting Commission .- Publication :...
. He also was a political activist bringing the plight of Aboriginal Australians to international attention with the publication of his book, The Unlucky Australians, in 1968. He ran unsuccessfully for the Australian parliament twice.
Early life
Frank Hardy, the fifth of the eight children of Thomas and Winifred Hardy, was born on 21 March 1917 at Southern Cross in western VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and later moved with his family to Bacchus Marsh, west of Melbourne. His mother, Winifred, was a Roman Catholichis father, Thomas, an atheist of Welsh and English descent. In 1931 Hardy left school, aged 14, and embarked upon a series of manual jobs. According to Hardy biographer Pauline Armstrong, "his first job was as a messenger and bottlewasher at the local chemist's shop" and then Hardy worked at the local grocer. He later also did manual work "in and around Bacchus Marsh in the milk factory, digging potatoes, picking tomatoes and fruit".
There is some debate among Hardy's biographers about the relative extent Hardy personally suffered from hardships during the 1930s depression. Hardy claimed himself that he left home when he was 13 because "his dad couldn't get the dole" with him at home. However, Jim Hardy, Frank's eldest brother, wrote to the Melbourne Herald on 6 November 1983 to rebut this assertion, claiming that Frank had never had to leave homefurther noting that their "father never lost a day's work in his life". According to biographer Jenny Hocking in a more recent biography, Tom Hardy indeed did lose his job at a milk factory at the start of the Great Depression, and the family had had to move into a small rented house in Lerderderg Street.
In 1937 Radio Times published a selection of his cartoons.
Adult life
In 1940 Hardy married Rosslyn Couper and they had three children, Frances, Alan and Shirley. From 1954 they made their home in Sydney.Communist Party of Australia
Because of his experiences during the Depression, Hardy joined the Communist Party of AustraliaCommunist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
in 1939. Hardy stood unsuccessfully twice as a CPA candidate for public office: in 1953 as a Senate candidate for Victoria, and in 1955 for the seat of Mackellar (NSW) in the House of Representatives.
Hardy also stood unsuccessfully for the National Committee of the CPA in 1955 and again in 1967.
Australian Army service
According to Pauline Armstrong, Hardy enlisted in the Australian armed forces on 10 May 1943. He was later posted to MatarankaMataranka, Northern Territory
Mataranka is a community of about 400, in the Top End region of Australia's Northern Territory. The town is located about 420 km southeast of the territorial capital, Darwin, and 107 km south of Katherine. At the 2001 census, Mataranka had a population of 461.The town is located near...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
which was under "perpetual anticipation" of attack from the Japanese. Initially editing and writing a unit newspaper for the Australian army, he was employed as an artist for the army journal, Salt. Later his short stories A stranger in the camp and The man from Clinkapella won competitions and his work was accepted by Coast to Coast and the Guardian. Many of his early stories were written under the pseudonym Ross Franklyn.
Journalism
He continued to work in journalism for most of his life. Although he opposed the foundation of the Australian Society of AuthorsAustralian Society of Authors
The Australian Society of Authors is the peak body representing Australia's literary creators and is the major advocate for the rights and remuneration of authors in Australia...
for political reasons in 1963, he later joined the Society and served on its Management Committee. He played an active role in assisting the Gurindji people
Gurindji people
Gurindji are a group of Indigenous Australians living in northern Australia, 460 km southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory's Victoria River region....
in the Gurindji strike in the mid to late 1960s. The documentary film The Unlucky Australians featured Frank Hardy and the Gurindji people and was made by director producer John Goldschmidt and transmitted on the ITV Network in the UK by Associated television.
Power Without Glory
His most famous work, Power Without GloryPower Without Glory
Power Without Glory is a 1950 novel written by Australian writer Frank Hardy. It was later adapted into a mini-series by the Australian Broadcasting Commission .- Publication :...
, was initially published in 1950 by Hardy himself with the assistance of Communist Party members. The novel was a fictionalised version of the life of a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
businessman, John Wren
John Wren
John Wren was an Australian businessman. He has become a legendary figure thanks mainly to a fictionalised account of his life in Frank Hardy's novel Power Without Glory, which was also made into a television series...
, and was set in the fictitious Melbourne suburb of Carringbush (based on the actual suburb Collingwood
Collingwood, Victoria
Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
).
In 1950, Hardy was arrested for criminal libel
Criminal libel
Criminal libel is a legal term, of English origin, which may be used with one of two distinct meanings, in those common law jurisdictions where it is still used....
and had to defend Power Without Glory in a celebrated case shortly after its publication. Prosecutors alleged that Power Without Glory criminally libelled John Wren's wife by implication that she had engaged in an extramarital affair. Hardy was acquitted and it was the last criminal libel case launched in Victoria; all subsequent libel cases were civil. Hardy detailed the case in his book The Hard Way.
Power Without Glory was filmed by the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in 1976 in a 26 episode television mini-series adapted by Howard Griffiths and Cliff Green.
Plays
Hardy also wrote plays, including Who was Henry Larsen (first performed 1984) and Faces in the Street (first performed 1988, published 1990), which were both based on Henry LawsonHenry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
.
Hardy was a member of the Realist Writers Group, which he represented in 1951 at the 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students
3rd World Festival of Youth and Students
The Third World Festival of Youth and Students was held in 1951, in East Berlin, East Germany.The third WFYS was held in a period of growing international tension between the Soviet Union and the western powers; it took place against the background of the Korean War and the spread of communism in...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Death
Frank Hardy died at his home in North Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne, from a heart attack on 28 January 1994, aged 76. His cremated remains were interred at Fawkner Memorial Park.Family
Hardy's sister, Mary Hardy, was a popular radio and television personality in the 1960s/1970s.His granddaughter, Marieke Hardy
Marieke Hardy
Marieke Josephine Hardy is an Australian writer, broadcaster, television producer and former television actress.-Early life and family:...
, is a writer in Melbourne.
Books about Frank Hardy
- Frank Hardy Politics Literature Life, Jenny Hocking, Lothian Books, South Melbourne: 2005; ISBN 0-7344-0836-6
- Frank Hardy and the Literature of Commitment, edited by Paul Adams & Christopher Lee is (The Vulgar Press, North Carlton, Victoria: 2003)
- Frank Hardy and the Making of Power without Glory, Pauline Armstrong (Melbourne University Press); ISBN 0-522-84888-5
- The Stranger From Melbourne: Frank Hardy – A Literary Biography 1944 – 1975, Paul Adams, University of West Australia Press: 1999 ISBN 1-876268-23-9