Maurice Saxby
, 1924 - 2014
Maurice Saxby (born Henry Maurice Saxby, also known as H.M. Saxby) was an author, educator and academic recognised as an international authority on children’s literature, specialising in writing by Australian authors. He was a passionate advocate for providing children with quality literature, and his multi-volume A History of Australian Children’s Literature remains a seminal resource on the subject. He published several anthologies of traditional folktales, including The Great Deeds of the Superheroes (1989) and The Great Deeds of Heroic Women (1990), and The Millennium Book of Myth and Story (1997).
In 1958 he was named the first national president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, and later became a life member of the organisation. He also served as a member of the judging panel for several Australian and international literary awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and the Children’s Book Council of Australia. He was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 1995.
He died on November 30, 2014. His legacy has been memorialised in several ways. The School Library Association of New South Wales presents the Maurice Saxby Award, recognising an individual, team or organisation who displays excellence and passion in promoting reading and writing for young people in NSW. The Children’s Book Council of Australia hosts the Maurice Saxby Lecture biannually. And the Maurice Saxby Mentorship Program supports emerging writers of children’s fiction.
Bio prepared by Miriam Riverlea, University of New England, mriverlea@gmail.com
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