Alfred George Stephens

Australian literary critic and journalist

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History

Alfred George Stephens (born Aug. 28, 1865, Toowoomba, Queens., Australia—died April 15, 1933, Sydney, N.S.W.) was an Australian literary critic and journalist whose writings in newspapers and periodicals set standards for Australian literature. He is considered Australia’s pioneer man of letters.

As a youth Stephens was apprenticed to a Sydney printer, and he later became a journalist. Joining the staff of Boomerang, a radical Brisbane weekly, Stephens wrote a column that surveyed American and British journals. After another brief stint as an editor, he traveled abroad, publishing A Queenslander’s Travel Notes (1894) upon his return. In 1894 he joined the staff of the Sydney Bulletin and in 1896 developed his “Red Page” literary section, which included book reviews and other editorial notices. This famous feature appeared in the Bulletin until 1961 and came to play a key part in promoting the work of young Australian writers. Stephens also acted as a literary agent, arranging the publication of many important works of literature. He published a volume of poetry, Oblation (1902), and a selection of his Red Page reviews in The Red Pagan (1904).

In 1906 Stephens left the Bulletin and from 1907 to 1909 lived in New Zealand. He returned to Sydney, reviving a magazine (Bookfellow) that he had earlier attempted to establish and writing criticism on a freelance basis. The magazine was published monthly, except for a hiatus of three and a half years, until 1925. His later works include another volume of verse, a novel, two plays, and various other collections of critical writings.