Hugh McCrae - letter received from Norman Lindsay, March 1926

MLMSS 7693

fonds

1926

455742

1 folder - 0.01 Meters
Textual Records - (manuscript)

Hugh McCrae (1876-1958) was born in Melbourne, but lived much of his life in Sydney. McCrae is best known for his poetry, letters and black and white illustrations, but also wrote prose, drama and journalism. McCrae was made OBE in 1953.

Norman Lindsay (1879-1969) was born at Creswick, Victoria. Primarily noted as an artist, he also wrote novels, essays, literary criticism, art appreciations and reminiscences. He worked for the Bulletin magazine until two years before his death. He illustrated some of Hugh McCrae's poetry collections.

1926; Letter, undated, but with accompanying envelope postmarked March 1926. One leaf, written on both sides, from Springwood.

Discussing the nature of friendship, Lindsay asserts that a real friendship is 'a meeting between two minds of the same mental kinship' and 'cannot be broken', even though there had been a 'temporary break' in his close association with McCrae.He expresses his view that 'no wisdom goes so deep as that which maintains a friendship, or that seeks to renew it when disrupted'. Lindsay refers to a similar experience with Will Dyson, with whom a disagreement was amicably resolved. Lindsay also discusses his fantasy Micomicana, declaring his intention 'never to publish it, but write it and illustrate it entirely for my own diversion'. [Micomicana, edited by Jane Lindsay, was published in 1979 to mark the centenary of Lindsay's birth].