Harry Hooton

1908 Harry Hooton (b. Henry Arthur Hooton; d. 1961), Australian anarchist poet.

Hooton was an Australian poet and philosopher ahead of his time. He was part of the libertarian Sydney Push in Sydney during the 1950s. Through Miles Franklin he was introduced to the writings of Carl Sandburg and the American literary scene ...

Hooten's last book was It Is Great To Be Alive, published by Margaret Fink (then Margaret Elliot, whom he'd met in 1952 and lived with) just before he died. His works were edited by Australian writer and editor, Sasha Soldatow (1947 - 2006).

Vale Sasha Soldatow
Footnote: Hooton's editor Sasha Soldatow died on August 30. The Sydney Morning Herald's 2-page obituary is here, The Australian's is here, and an intimate depiction is here. I didn't know Sasha very well, but had quite a bit to do with him in the weeks before his death. He was a most remarkable man and, as the obits affirm, generous. I can vouch for that, as, although he didn't know me well, just a week or two before his death he offered to edit my novel at no charge, a huge undertaking as the book is 573 pp. Yes, Sasha was hard work, as the obituaries agree, but he was also very special. He's gone to the big vineyard in the sky, and good luck to him. His self-composed epitaph: "I see". Thanks, Sasha.

Tagged: australia, biography, poetry, australian+literature, australian+poetry, philosophy, anarchism