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Elizabeth Jolley
Elizabeth Jolley

A Tribute to Author Elizabeth Jolley, 4 June 1923 – 13 February 2007

21 February 2007

One of Australia's most acclaimed authors, Elizabeth Jolley OA has died at the age of 83 in Perth after a long illness.

Born in Birmingham, Elizabeth Jolley was the daughter of an English father and a Viennese mother; German was the spoken language at home. At 17, she completed her Quaker schooling and trained as a nurse, enduring the horrors of wartime England first hand. In 1959, she migrated to Australia with her husband Leonard and their three children.

Elizabeth Jolley's career as an author took time to come to fruition even though she commenced writing in her early 20s. Her first of 23 books, Five Acre Virgin and other stories was published in 1976 by Fremantle Arts Centre Press. Clive Newman, General Manager of the Press said "Elizabeth was a cornerstone of the establishment and early success of the Press. We published six of her books and were proud to play a part in the development of her outstanding international career. Elizabeth was very generous in her support of other writers and indeed of our small publishing house. She will be sadly missed."

Notable successes in Ellizabeth's career included The Age Book of the Year Award three times, for Mr Scobie's Riddle, My Father's Moon, and The Georges' Wife as well as the Miles Franklin Award for The Well and the NSW Premier's Prize for Fiction for Milk and Honey.

Jolley's books were usually populated by eccentric and lonely characters and she tackled social and personal issues relating to alienation and displacement, with a dark and wry sense of humour. She also wrote poetry and a number of her radio plays were broadcast by the ABC and the BBC.

Elizabeth Jolley not only cemented a place for herself as one of Australia's most significant authors but she was also a good friend to a number of prominent Australian authors including David Malouf, Helen Garner and Tim Winton whom she taught as Professor of Creative Writing at Curtin University, a role she assumed in 1998.