Dear Father Xmas

The appeal of letters to Santa could be that they are full of joy, hope, and innocence. The National Library of Australia holds a letter to Santa from award-winning author Patrick White in its collection. At the time of writing, he was six years old.

The letter reads, “Will you please bring me a pistol, a mouth organ, a violin, a butterfly net, Robinson Crusoe, A History of Australia, some marbles, a little mouse what runs across the room. I hope you do not think I am too greedy but I want the things badly.

Your loving Paddy”

Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was an Australian novelist and playwright. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973, the first Australian to have been awarded the literary prize.

“To become any kind of artist would have been unthinkable. Like everybody else I was intended for the land, though, vaguely, I knew this was not to be. At 18 years of age, for two years, I worked as a jackeroo, first in the mountainous southern New South Wales, which became for me the bleakest place on earth, then on the property of a Withycombe uncle in the flat, blistering north, plagued alternately by drought and flood. I can remember swimming my horse through floodwaters to fetch the mail and enjoying a dish of stewed nettles during a dearth of vegetables. The life in itself was not uncongenial, but the talk was endlessly of wool and weather”.

White’s writing style often challenged conventional norms, earning both admiration and controversy. His contribution to literature extended beyond his novels to include plays and short stories, helping to shape the cultural landscape of Australia.

Patrick White passed away on September 30, 1990, in Sydney, leaving a legacy of literary brilliance and a profound impact on Australian and global literature.

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@peacewriter51

Credit Ian Douglas