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A Free Flame

Australian Women Writers and Vocation in the Twentieth Century
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A Free Flame delves into the lives of four pioneering Australian women writersβ€”Gwen Harwood, Dorothy Hewett, Christina Stead, and Ruth Parkβ€”who defied societal expectations to pursue their passion for writing. Combining biography, literary analysis, and cultural history, the book reveals how these distinct women from diverse backgrounds shared an urgent need to claim the artist's identity on their own terms.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in women's literature, Australian cultural history, and the challenges faced by female artists in the 20th century.

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Highly Commended in the 2016 Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

HIGHLY COMMENDED IN THE 2016 DOROTHY HEWETT AWARD FOR AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

'I need to be a writer,' Ruth Park told her future husband, D'Arcy Niland, on the eve of their marriage. 'That's what I need from life.'

She was not the only one. At a time when women were considered incapable of being 'real' artists, a number of precocious girls in Australian cities were weighing their chances and laying their plans.

A Free Flame explores the lives of four such women: Gwen Harwood, Dorothy Hewett, Christina Stead, and Ruth Park, each of whom went on to become a notable Australian writer.

They were very different women from very different backgrounds, but they shared a sense of urgency around their vocationβ€”their 'need' to be a writerβ€”that would not let them rest.

Weaving biography, literary criticism, and cultural history, this book looks at the ways in which these women laid siege to the artist's identity, and ultimately remade it in their own image.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781742589589

Publisher: UWA Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 February 2018

Country: Australia

Imprint: UWAP

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Ann-Marie Priest grew up in country South Australia, but has lived most of her adult life in rural Queensland. She writes essays and reviews, and her first book, Great Writers, Great Loves: The Reinvention of Love in the Twentieth-Century, explored the love lives of a group of influential twentieth-century writers. She has a PhD in English literature and teaches at Central Queensland University.

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