Editing Patrick White (section)

== Nobel laureate ==
[[File:(1)Patrick White house Centennial Park.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Patrick White's home [[Highbury, Centennial Park|Highbury]], in [[Centennial Park, New South Wales|Centennial Park]], Sydney]]In 1970, White had begun working on a new novel, ''The Eye of the Storm'', about the meaning of his mother's death. He sent the completed work to his British publishers in December 1972. He delayed sending it to his American publishers, Viking, because ''The Vivisector'' had sold poorly in America and he hoped positive reviews of the new work in Britain would increase interest in the United States.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=494, 514}}

The novel was published in August 1973 and White was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in October. The Nobel citation praised him "for an epic and psychological narrative art, which has introduced a new continent into literature". White, pleading delicate health, declined to travel to Sweden to accept the award. Nolan attended the ceremony on his behalf.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=530, 535-41}}

The Nobel prize increased worldwide interest in White's work. ''Eye of the Storm'' was widely reviewed in the United States and sold 25,000 copies by March 1974. New editions of his previous novels were published and translation rights sold well. White, however, refused to have ''Happy Valley'' republished as he considered it an inferior early work and he was afraid that some of the people on whom characters were based might sue for defamation.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=537-38, 545-46}}

According to [[David Marr (journalist)|David Marr]], White's biographer, "From the time of the prize his work became saturated with a late, relaxed sensuality."{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=553}} White himself was less relaxed about the effects of the award, telling a supporter: "the Nobel Prize is a terrifying and destructive experience."{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=545}}

White was made [[Australian of the Year]] for 1973. In his acceptance speech, he said that [[Australia Day]] should be "a day of self-searching rather than trumpet blowing" and that historian [[Manning Clark]], comedian [[Barry Humphries]] and communist trade union leader [[Jack Mundey]] were more worthy of the award.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=544}}

In May 1974, White gave a speech in support of the re-election of the [[Whitlam government|Whitlam Labor government]], stating that it was necessary for Australia to create: "an intellectual climate from which artists would no longer feel the need to flee."{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=547}} Following a trip to [[K'gari|Fraser Island]] to do research for a new novel ''[[A Fringe of Leaves]]'', he became a supporter of the campaign to stop sand mining on the island. He wrote to the re-elected prime minister [[Gough Whitlam]] on the issue and the campaign eventually forced the government to suspend its approval of mining and hold an inquiry on the matter.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=549-52}}

White was among the first group of the Companions of the [[Order of Australia]] in 1975 but resigned in June 1976 in protest against the [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|dismissal]] of the Whitlam government in November 1975 by the Governor-General Sir [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]] and the subsequent reintroduction of knighthoods as part of the order.{{Sfnp|Webby|2012}} White later wrote that Kerr's behaviour "moved me farther to the Left and made me a convinced Republican."{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=602}} Over the following years, he would break with numerous long-term friends because he thought they supported the conservative establishment or had compromised their personal or artistic integrity.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=578, 612-15}}

In November 1975, the young theatre director [[Jim Sharman]] approached White to discuss a revival of ''The Season at Sarsaparilla.'' They also agreed to film his story "The Night the Prowler" and White began working on a script. The meeting sparked a revival in White's interest in theatre and a long-term working relationship between the two men.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=559-62}}

In 1976, White was working on a new novel, ''The Twyborn Affair,'' partly based on aspects of his own life and that of male Antarctic explorer [[Herbert Dyce Murphy|Herbert Dyce-Murphy]] (1879{{Endash}}1971) who had lived as a woman for several years. In researching his novel, White revisited the regions of New South Wales where White had lived and worked as a youth, and significant locations in London, France and Greece. In October, ''A Fringe of Leaves'' was published to generally favourable reviews and sold well. Sharman's production of ''A Season at Sarsaparilla'' in Sydney was also a critical success and attracted good audiences.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=562-71}}

In 1977, a project to film ''Voss'' with [[Joseph Losey]] as director collapsed when the promoter Harry Miller failed to gain finance. Miller eventually sold the film rights to Nolan. The success of ''The Season at Sarsaparilla'' had inspired White to write his first play in over 12 years, ''Big Toys'', about plutocracy and corruption in Sydney. The play, directed by Sharman, premiered in Sydney in October but attracted generally unfavourable reviews and moderate audiences.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=572-77}}[[File:Patrick White 1972.jpg|thumb|right|White in 1972]]The film of ''The Night the Prowler'', directed by Sharman, premiered at the ''Sydney Film Festival'' in June 1978. Reviews were generally unfavourable and the film failed at the box office.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=578-81, 589}} However, Sharman's 1979 production of  ''A Cheery Soul'' for the [[Sydney Theatre Company]] broke box office records for the drama theatre of the Opera House despite mixed reviews. ''The Twyborn Affair'' was published in Britain in November, 1979 to very positive reviews and became a best seller. The response from critics and the public in the United States was more subdued.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=588, 591}}

In October 1979, White started work on a memoir, ''Flaws in the Glass'', in which he planned to write publicly for the first time about his homosexuality and his relationship with Manoly Lascaris. The book was published in Britain in October 1981 to great publicity and became his biggest seller in his life time. Much of the publicity stemmed from his scathing character portraits of Nolan, Kerr and [[Joan Sutherland]]. Nolan considered suing White for defamation and their friendship ended.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=592-95, 602-607}}{{Sfnp|Webby|2012}}

The 1982 [[Adelaide Festival]] was directed by Sharman who had commissioned a new play by White, ''Signal Driver''. The festival also featured a short excerpt from an opera based on ''Voss.'' The opera had been commissioned by [[Opera Australia]] with [[Richard Meale]] as composer and [[David Malouf]] the librettist. Critics were generally lukewarm towards ''Signal Driver'', but encouraging towards the fragment of Voss. White, in contrast, disliked Meale's approach to ''Voss'' but was enthusiastic about the production of ''Signal Driver''.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=610}} White was encouraged to write a new play for Sharman, ''Netherwood'', "about the sanity in insanity and the insanity in sanity". The play premiered in Adelaide in May 1983 but attracted hostile reviews which White considered a deliberate media campaign to sabotage his work.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=610-11, 616}}

By 1984, White had become disillusioned with the [[Hawke government|Hawke Labor government]] and publicly and financially supported the new [[Nuclear Disarmament Party]]. White had been publicly campaigning for nuclear disarmament since 1981, calling it: "the most important moral issue in history."{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=611-12, 618}}

===Late work and declining health===
In late 1984, White was hospitalised due to osteoporosis, crumbled vertebrae and glaucoma resulting from his long-term use of cortisone to treat his asthma and chest infections. Although he was still mentally agile, his physical health and mobility were declining.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=619-20}}

He had recovered sufficiently by January 1985 to recommence work on a new novel, ''Memoirs of Many in One,'' which he described as a "religious" and "bawdy" novel about senility. Posing as the editor of the memoirs of Alex Xenophon Demirjian Gray, White felt free to explore various aspects of his own character. The novel was published in Britain on 1 April 1986 and sharply divided critics.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=622-24, 628}}

[[Salman Rushdie]] wrote to White in 1985, praising the novel ''Voss:'' "I cannot think when last a book so moved me."<ref>''Canberra City News'', 2012, 'Library reveals the life of Patrick White'. Available at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240901092857/https://citynews.com.au/2012/library-reveals-the-life-of-patrick-white/. Accessed 1st September, 2024.</ref> By this time, however, White was tired of praise for the novel as he rated several of his other works more highly.{{Sfnp|Barnes|2014|pp=2-4}} The completed opera ''Voss'' opened at the  Adelaide Festival in March 1986 to general critical acclaim. White, however, boycotted the premiere because the festival had invited the Queen to attend. He attended the Sydney premiere later that year and judged it: "a stupendous occasion."{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=629}}

In April 1987, White's new play, ''Shepherd on the Rocks,'' opened at Adelaide in a production directed by Neil Armfield. White attended and deemed it a success.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|p=631}} He had also written three short prose poems which were published as ''Three Uneasy Pieces'' in late 1987''.'' White was determined that none of his works would be published or performed in 1988 which was the [[Australian Bicentenary|bicentenary]] of British settlement in Australia.{{Sfnp|Webby|2012}} He also urged a boycott of all official celebrations of the event, stating: "circuses don't solve serious problems."{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=632-64}}

White was hospitalised with pneumonia in August 1988. A nurse stayed at his home for the remainder of his life and he no longer had the strength to attend protest rallies.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=636-40}} In June 1989, a selection of his public statements, speeches and interviews was published as ''Patrick White Speaks''. In October, the Sydney Theatre Company staged a successful revival of ''The Ham Funeral'' directed by Neil Armfield. White attended the premiere in his last public appearance.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=640-42}}

In July 1990, White contracted pleurisy and suffered a bronchial collapse. He refused to be hospitalised and died at home at dawn on 30 September.{{Sfnp|Marr|1991|pp=643-44}}{{Sfnp|Marr|2008}}