Brian Fitzpatrick was a journalist and radical socialist. He was a founder of the Melbourne University student newspaper Farrago in 1925, instrumental in the founding of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, and publisher of Australian Democrat (1948-50) and Australian News-Review (1951-53). He also edited Brian Fitzpatrick's Labor News Letter (1958-1965) and, during the 1950s, was an assoicate editor for Meanjin.
Fitzpatrick was the author of an unpublished novel The Colonials (held at the Victorian State Library) and wrote many political and historical works including British Imperialism in Australia; The British Empire in Australia; Short History of the Australian Labor Movement; The Australian People, 1788-1945 and The Australian Commonwealth.