Staff reporter
A biography of Daniel Mannix, the Irish-born Archbishop of Melbourne, has scooped a major literary award in Australia.
Penned by 85-year-old Brenda Niall, who knew Dr Mannix during his tenure in Melbourne, Mannix has won the National Biography Prize, worth Aus$25,000. It beat off competition from six other biographies shortlisted by the State Library of New South Wales. Judges ruled Mannix to be “a gripping biography of Australia’s most prominent religious figure” in selecting it to receive the award. It added: “Over its 21-year history the National Biography Award has celebrated a body of incredible stories about our nation and its people to the benefit of us, the readers. This year’s winner is yet another outstanding addition to this long list.”
Described as “a biographer’s nightmare” by author Niall due to Dr Mannix’s insistence that his letters be burned after his death, she was the ninth biographer to attempt a summation of the prelate’s life.
Born in Co. Cork in 1864, Daniel Mannix was ordained in 1890 and rose to become president of St Patrick’s College Maynooth, a role he held for nine years until 1912 when he was appointed to the Archdiocese of Melbourne as coadjutor, eventually becoming archbishop in 1917. He was to lead the archdiocese for 46 years. He died in 1963 and is buried in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne.