Martin Boyd

Who was Martin Boyd?

Martin à Beckett Boyd was an Australian writer born Lucerne, Switzerland, into the à Beckett–Boyd family—a family synonymous with the establishment, the judiciary, publishing and literature, and the visual arts since the early 19th century in Australia.

Boyd was a novelist, memoirist, and poet who spent most of his life after World War One in Europe, primarily Britain. His work drew heavily on his own life and family, with his novels frequently exploring the experiences of the Anglo-Australian upper and middle classes. His writing was also deeply influenced by his experience of serving in World War One.

His siblings included the potter William Merric Boyd, painters Theodore Penleigh Boyd and Helen à Beckett Read, née Boyd. He was intensely involved in family life and took a keen interest in the development of his nephews and nieces, and their families, including potter Lucy Beck, painter Arthur Boyd, sculptor Guy Boyd, painter David Boyd, painter Mary Nolan - who was married to painters John Perceval and Sidney Nolan, and architect Robin Boyd. His nephew Guy Boyd was his literary executor.