McAuley, James Phillip (1917–1976)

Australian poet and critic. He published two volumes of verse, Under Aldebaran 1946 and A Vision of Ceremony 1956, the latter influenced by his conversion to Catholicism four years previously. Together with Harold Stewart, he was responsible for a highly publicized literary hoax in the form of poems by the fictitions Ern Malley published in the magazine Angry Penguins in 1944.

McAuley's work exhibits technical sophistication and academic depth. The pioneer, central to white Australian mythmaking, is the hero of the epic Captain Quiros 1964. His Collected Poems 1936–1970 appeared in 1971. McAuley's critical works, such as A Primer of English Versification 1966, reinforced his position as the foremost advocate of conservatism in Australian culture. McAuley was also the founding editor of the literary periodical Quadrant in 1955.