I recently obtained a couple of letters from Walter Murdoch to Idriess from a SRB Auction, which I will reproduce here. Not everyone would be familiar with Murdoch, so here are some details: Professor Sir Walter Murdoch, 1874 to 1970, was born in Scotland. He became an English lecturer at the University of Melbourne (from which he had graduated) and then the inaugural Professor of English at the newly founded University of Western Australia in 1912. But he also found time to write essays and articles for various publications and newspapers, such as the Argus in Melbourne (where he had been a journalist) and The West Australian. He was the great uncle of media tycoon, Rupert Murdoch. He was much admired and lauded, not only in academia, but by the general public. Murdoch University in Perth (established 1974 - one hundred years after Murdoch's birth) - and my alma mater - was named after him (as was a suburb, etc). So it it very interesting that this academic is corresponding with Idriess - and rather warmly at that.

The letterhead, Blithedale, South Perth, W.A., was the name of the Murdoch residence at 162 Mill Point Rd, South Perth. A metal sign with the lettering Blithedale hung on the front gate.

Aug 16th 1946

Dear Mr Idriess,

You can't imagine how much pleasure your note gave me [presumably Idriess wrote a note or letter to Murdoch]. I get all sorts of discouragement from all sorts of people. To be praised by a fellow-craftsman, whose work one has known and admired for years [high praise in turn from Murdoch. I will endeavour to view the Walter Murdoch collection at Murdoch Uni and see if any Idriess books are in it!], is encouragement to last for the rest of my writing life - which won't be very long now [except it was - Murdoch wrote almost up until his death 24 years later].

You and I were once up for judgment in the same dock, with Hartley Grattan indulging us both [Grattan was an American professor and an expert in 20th century Australian history. He wrote an article about Murdoch and Idriess in the New York Times Literary Supplement in about 1940 called Two Scotsmen - perhaps half right with this title!]. I noted your excellent reply to him in the papers [not sure when or which papers]. For myself I didn't think him worth replying to, after you had dealt with him.

Be sure to let me know when you are next coming to Perth. We ought to meet [not sure if they ever did - does anyone know?].

Yours sincerely

Walter Murdoch

Dear Idriess

(May I drop the 'Mr'? And will you please drop the 'Professor'? - a name I've always disliked.)

I'm just going into hospital for an operation which the doctors tell me is more or less serious [not sure what this operation was for]; on my way to it, I must write a line to thank you for your letter [perhaps in reply to Murdoch's August letter, above], which interested me greatly because it shed light on how a writer gets 'style', and bore me out in my opinion, now very old, that the best way to acquire 'style', is to forget all about it. I have long admired your style and am glad to know that you have got it without worrying about it. Carry on.

Yours sincerely

Walter Murdoch