Victor Kennedy was an intellectual and literary figure who played an influential role in publicising Australian literature, both through his involvement with a range of literary societies, and through the critical essays and reviews which he regularly contributed to Australian newspapers and magazines. He was President of the Australian Literature Society and Associate General Editor of the Jindyworobak Club.
Kennedy lived in Queensland from 1926 to 1942. He founded the North Queensland periodical Northern Affairs, and edited the North Queensland Naturalist. He wrote books of poetry, travel and biography, and published numerous poems, articles and short stories in magazines and newspapers. When he died in Melbourne in 1952, Kennedy had begun work on his biography of Bernard O'Dowd. In accordance with Kennedy's wishes, the biography was completed by Nettie Palmer.
