Clarke, Marcus Andrew

Born Apr. 24, 1846, in London; died Aug. 2, 1881, in Melbourne. Australian writer.

Clarke’s first books were a collection of sketches on the daily life of the citizens of Melbourne, The Peripatetic Philosopher (1869), and the novel Long Odds (1869). He was the author of a collection of stories called Old Tales of a Young Country (1871), of the novella Twixt Shadow and Shine (1875), of the satirical play Fortunate Region (1880), and of satirical and lyrical poetry. His novel For the Term of His Natural Life (1872; Russian translation, English Convict System, 1903), which is replete with melodrama, presents a grim portrait of colonial Australia.