James Devaney

James Martin Devaney (31 May 1890 – 14 August 1976) was an Australian poet, novelist, and journalist.

Biography

Born in Bendigo, Victoria in 1890, Devaney attended St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, entering the Marist Brothers juniorate in 1904.^[1] He took his vows in 1915. He moved to Queensland in 1921 after leaving the order due to contracting tuberculosis.^[2] He pursued writing and journalism. Under the pen-name 'Fabian', he contributed between 1924 and 1943 a nature column to the Brisbane Courier (renamed The Courier-Mail after 1933).^[3] He also wrote a regular literary column for the Catholic Leader.

Devaney was active in literary circles in the 1930s and 1940s. He was president of the Queensland Authors' and Artists' Association from 1944 to 1945 (later known as the Fellowship of Australian Writers or FAW). After World War II, he returned to teaching working on pastoral stations in Victoria and Queensland.^[2]

Personal life

Devaney married Phyllis de Winton in 1924.^[4] He died in Brisbane on 14 August 1976 and was buried at Redcliffe Cemetery. Several boxes of his papers can be accessed from the Fryer Library at The University of Queensland Library.^[5]