Martin Boyd | |
|---|---|
 Boyd seated at his desk in his home, "Plumstead", near Cambridge, England, 1947 | |
| Born | Martin à Beckett Boyd 10 June 1893 Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Died | 3 June 1972 (aged 78) Rome, Italy |
| Burial place | Protestant English Cemetery, Rome |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Other names | Martin Mills (pseudonym) (Emma née Mills, his grandmother) |
| Education | Trinity Grammar School, Melbourne |
| Known for | Novels, autobiographies, family |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Merric Boyd, Penleigh Boyd, Helen Read (siblings); Lucy Beck, Arthur Boyd, Guy Boyd, David Boyd, Mary Nolan, Robin Boyd |
| Awards |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1916-1918 |
Martin à Beckett Boyd (10 June 1893 – 3 June 1972) was an Australian writer born 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 I 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.
Boyd's siblings included the potter Merric Boyd (1888–1959), painters Penleigh Boyd (1890–1923) and Helen à Beckett Read, née Boyd (1903–1999). 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 (1916-2009), painter Arthur Boyd (1920–1999), sculptor Guy Boyd (1923–1988), painter David Boyd (1924–2011), painter Mary Nolan (1926–2016) – who was married to painters John Perceval and Sidney Nolan – and architect Robin Boyd (1919–1971). His nephew Guy Boyd was his literary executor.