Enid Derham
Australian poet and academic (1882–1941)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Enid Derham (24 March 1882 – 13 November 1941) was an Australian poet and academic. She was a founding member of the Lyceum Club, and was president in 1918. She lectured in English at the University of Western Australia, and then took position of senior lecturer in English at the University of Melbourne.
- Hessle College, Camberwell
- Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne
Enid Derham | |
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| Born | 24 March 1882 |
| Died | 13 November 1941 (aged 59) |
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Career
She edited books of prose, poetry and drama.[1] In a review for The Herald, Archibald Strong compared her work favourably with that of Louis Esson, Dorothea Mackellar and Christopher Brennan. He wrote of the "true and original singing quality and its scholarly and critical finish" as being rare in Australian poetry and noted that her poem "Cras Nobis" was "easily the best Australian contribution" to the Australasian Students' Song Book, published in 1911 by George Robertson.[2][3]
While her poetry was influenced by her classical studies, she was one of the earliest Australian writers to recognise the poetry of Emily Dickinson.[4]
In 1912 Derham was one of the founding members of the Lyceum Club[5] and its president in 1918.[6]
Death and legacy
On 13 November 1941, Derham died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage at her home in Kew, Victoria.[1]
Melbourne University Press released a posthumous anthology of her best work called Poems in 1958 which re-established her reputation as a poet.[7]