The Ambitions of Jane Franklin – Winner National Biography Award 2014
Congratulations to Tasmanian biographer Alison Alexander who has won this year’s National Biography Award, with The Ambitions of Jane Franklin (Allen & Unwin). I read this one quite a while ago but from memory it was an enjoyable and insightful read. Jane Franklin definitely comes across less as the power behind the throne, and more…
Biography Week at the State Library of NSW
Next week is Biography Week at the State Library of New South Wales Celebrate Biography Week at the State Library of NSW with a series of talks, workshops and events exploring the art of biography, autobiography and memoir. Highlights include: National Biography Award 2014 winner announcement 2014 (Monday 4 August, 11am to 12.30pm, Friends Room….
Visiting Bridgerule, Dreaming of the Past
Thanks to every TV and cinema adaptation of Pride and Prejudice it isn’t hard for a modern reader to imagine the quiet corner of England that Elizabeth Macarthur left behind. Elizabeth Veale, as she was then, was born in 1766 and raised in the very English village of Bridgerule, on the border of Cornwall and…
Melbourne Writers’ Festival – Tickets Now on Sale
In past years I’ve had some wonderful experiences at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Germaine Greer giving a keynote address. A writing masterclass with Simon Winchester. Another year, another masterclass, this one with English biographer Victoria Glendinning CBE. But this year family responsibiilties mean I’m not able to go, not even to Helen Garner’s opening night…