SOURCE: “White's Short Stories,” in Overland, No. 31, March, 1965, pp. 17-19.

In the following essay, Taylor discusses the shortcomings and the success of White's short stories in The Burnt Ones, maintaining that the stories are “fine, penetrating, courageous and illuminating in their economy.”

Patrick White is central to Australian literature just in so far as he chooses to remain at odds with its society. To say that he is one of our sharpest and best social critics is stating a commonplace. The “suburban” world of Sarsaparilla and Barranugli receive about as much sympathy as they offer love. But one of his strengths is the ability not only to make us feel strongly about the mess we have created, but also to make us feel that it's worth feeling strongly about. For barren, ugly, or sweet and sickly though it may be, it is still the breeding ground of human...