May it be permitted to offer, as a tribute of admiration and affection, this little book of a young Australian to the great Poet of America.
Arthur LynchCorrespondent:
Arthur Lynch
(1861–1934) was a writer and politician who served twice in the UK House
of Commons. Born in Australia to an Irish father and Scottish mother, Lynch was
educated at the University of Melbourne and worked as a civil engineer before
relocating to Galway, Ireland. During the Second Boer War, he raised an Irish
brigade that fought against the Crown; as a result, he was convicted of treason,
sentenced to death, and subsequently pardoned. Upon his release, Lynch attended
St. Mary's Hospital Medical School and became a general practitioner. Lynch
wrote prolifically in several genres, including fiction, poetry, and philosophy;
the "little book" alluded to in this letter may refer to Lynch's Modern Authors: A Review and a Forecast (London: Ward and
Downey, 1891). The book devotes much attention to Whitman, and Lynch writes that
Whitman "has the true poet's largeness of soul" but "lacks a little the singing
faculty, though the divine afflatus at his best carries him safely along" (41).
For more information on Lynch, see Stephen Due, "Arthur Lynch: Parliamentarian,
Physician and Author," Journal of Medical Biography 7.2
(May 1999), 93–99.