Donald Horne

Professor Donald Richmond Horne AO (26 December 1921 – 8 September 2005) was an Australian journalist, writer, social critic, and academic who became one of Australia's best known public intellectuals, from the 1960s until his death.

Horne was a prolific^[1] author who published three novels and more than twenty volumes of history, memoir and political and cultural analysis. He also edited The Bulletin, The Observer and Quadrant. His best known work was The Lucky Country (1964), an evaluation of Australian society that questioned many traditional attitudes: "Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck."^[2]

Background and early years

Donald Horne's early life was recounted in the first volume of his memoirs The Education of Young Donald (1967). He was born in Kogarah, Sydney and raised in Muswellbrook, where his father was a teacher at the local school, and Sydney. He enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney in 1939 and attended Canberra University College;^[1] however he never completed his undergraduate degree.

Career

Horne began his career in journalism and worked for a number of Frank Packer's publications, first as a journalist for The Telegraph, then editor of the magazine Weekend, and later the periodical The Observer (1958–61). As editor of the flagship magazine The Bulletin (1961-2 and 1967–72), he removed the magazine's long standing motto "Australia for the White Man", an action in which he took great pride. He was co-editor of Quadrant magazine (1963–66).^[1][2]

Appointed as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales in 1973, Horne was promoted as a professor of political science in 1976, a member of the University Council between 1983–1986 and Chairman of the Faculty of Arts between 1982 and 1986, retiring as Emeritus Professor.^[1] Between 1992 and 1995, Horne served as Chancellor of the University of Canberra.^[3]

He also worked on writing, arts and citizenship boards and was an executive member of the Australian Constitutional Commission.^[2]

Despite initial conservative views,^[2] throughout his long career, he was unorthodox and independent-minded, without a consistent political allegiance. He was, however, known through much of his public career for his republicanism and opposition to the White Australia Policy.

He was still giving media interviews up to the last year of his life, when he died as a result of pulmonary fibrosis after a long illness.^[1] His wife, Myfanwy, later completed his part-written manuscript, published as Dying : a memoir in 2007.^[4]

Honours and legacy

In 1982, Professor Horne was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to literature;^[5] and in 2001 was presented with the Centenary Medal for service to the Centenary of Federation celebrations in New South Wales.^[6]

He was named as one of Australia's Living National Treasures by the National Trust.

Horne has been conferred with a degree honoris causa by a number of Australian academic institutions, including Griffith University (Doctor of the University), University of New South Wales (Doctor of Letters), University of Canberra (Doctor of the University), the Australian Academy of the Humanities (Fellow), and the University of Sydney (Honorary Doctorate: 2005).^[1]

In 2008, the University of Canberra announced the establishment of the Donald Horne Institute for Cultural Heritage.^[3]

Selected bibliography

Social commentary

• The lucky country : Australia in the sixties. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin. 1964. p. 223. 
• God is an Englishman. Angus and Robertson in association with Penguin Books. 1969. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-207-95363-7. 
• The Australian people : biography of a nation. Sydney, New South Wales: Angus and Robertson. 1972. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-207-12845-5. 
• Money made us. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin. 1976. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-14-004302-0. 
• Horne, Donald, ed. (1992). The Trouble with economic rationalism. Newham, Victoria: Scribe Publications. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-908011-22-3. 
• Time of hope : Australia 1966–72. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. 1980. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-207-14133-1. 
• The great museum : the re-presentation of history. Leichhardt, New South Wales: Pluto Press. 1984. ISBN 978-0-86104-788-8. 
• Ideas for a nation. Sydney, New South Wales: Pan Books. 1989. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-330-27173-8. 
• The coming republic. Sydney, New South Wales: Pan Macmillan. 1992. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-7251-0700-0. 
• 10 steps to a more tolerant Australia. Camberwell, Victoria: Penguin Books. c. 2003. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-14-300182-9. 

Political history

• Death of the lucky country. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin. 1976. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-14-070049-7. 
• In search of Billy Hughes. Melbourne: Macmillan. 1979. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-333-25247-5. 
• Winner take all. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin Books. 1981. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-14-005876-5. 
• Looking for leadership : Australia in the Howard years. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin. 2000. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-670-91237-7. 

Autobiography

• The education of young Donald. Angus & Robertson. 1967. p. 331. 
• Confessions of a new boy. Ringwood, Victoria: Viking. 1985. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-14-008754-3. 
• Portrait of an optimist. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin. 1988. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-14-011236-8. 
• Into the open : memoirs 1958–1999. Pymble, New South Wales: HarperCollins. 2000. p. 358. ISBN 978-0-7322-5862-7. 
• Horne, Donald; Horne, Myfanwy (2007). Dying : a memoir. Ringwood, Victoria: Viking. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-670-07102-9. 

Fiction

• The permit. Melbourne, Victoria: Sun Books. 1965. p. 175. 

Travel

• Right Way – Don't Go Back. South Melbourne, Victoria: Sun Books. 1978. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-7251-0304-0. 
• The intelligent tourist. McMahons Point, New South Wales: Margaret Gee Publishing. 1992. p. 415. ISBN 978-1-875574-16-2. 

References

Further reading

• Horne, Donald (1992). "Interview with Robin Hughes" (transcript). Australian Biography. Film Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2013. 
• Horne, Donald; Australia Council (22 February 1985). The arts and the Australian economy (Speech). Melbourne, Victoria: Australia Council. Retrieved 14 June 2013. 
• Horne, Donald; Footscray Institute of Technology (1985). How to be an Intellectual (Speech). Footscray, Victoria: Footscray Institute of Technology. ISBN 978-0-908533-93-0. 
• Horne, Donald (5 May 2005). Australian identity: Donald Horne (streaming audio). Interview with Phillip Adams. Late Night Live. ABC Radio National. Australia.