Snapshot in Time: The tumultuous, impressive life story of Geraldton-born literary legend Randolph Stow

Geraldton-born Randolph Stow was a novelist and poet noted for his economic writing voice and robust descriptive powers, Born on November 28, 1935, Stow attended Geraldton Primary School and Geraldton High School before going to university where his first two novels and some poetry were written before being published by Macdonald and Co in London. His first novel, A Haunted Land (1956), was a wild tale with Gothic influences. After some years spent as a lecturer in English literature, he worked on an Aboriginal mission in the Kimberley. Stow then worked as an assistant to anthropologist, Charles Julius, in the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea. It was here that he suffered a physical and mental breakdown and was repatriated to Australia. These experiences formed his later novel, Visitants. During a sojourn in Aztec, New Mexico, he wrote perhaps his best-known novel, The Merry Go-Round in the Sea. He won the Miles Franklin Award in 1958 and the Patrick White Award in 1979. Stow died on May 29, 2010. Snapshots is an initiative of the Geraldton Regional Library. For more information, or to donate a historical photo or slide contact Geraldton Regional Library on 9956 6659 or library@cgg.wa.gov.au