Maxwell Edgar Fatchen, AM (3 August 1920 – 14 October 2012) was an Australian children’s writer and journalist. (Wikipedia)
Further, he was my maternal grandfather’s cousin. Grandma was always somewhat proud of this and keen on his writings, especially his regular column in the Adelaide Advertiser. She used to send me clippings, many of which I pasted into scrapbooks.
I’ve now photographed and scanned many of these as some form of record and tribute.
If you are new to Max’s writings, I recommend starting with Unacustard as I am…—it’s a pretty good intro to his style of humour.
I have tended, out of personal taste, to prefer his light-hearted prose pieces, but there are a few examples of his verses and a few of his more serious articles, these latter tagged “Saturday Spread” as that was usually the Advertiser column they were published under.
Enjoy…
Browse Max’s work
(full list of what’s on this site—see below the list for links to a couple of smaller subsets)
- Max Fatchen… Shoots a line
- Memories of the clap of canvas
- MICHAEL JACOBS: Behind the buffoon, another Max—AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS
- Monsters await divining
- More hand-kissing and less finger-licking
- New way to mind a seat
- Nice girls do…but on reflection
- Not watching while waiting for big Wet
- Now for a real holiday
- Nuts, phooey—and more toast, baby!
- On feeding the imagination
- Out on a limb over technology
- Panicky art of getting people off
- Picnic was pitched at wrong person
- Plain Jane
- Please, please not one for the pot
- Pray be seated
- Putting a sock in it
- Putting it plainly…
- Quiet after harvest storm
Tagged subsets of Max’s writings
If you just prefer a straightforward, non-paginated listing, it’s here (but it’s quite long!)