Jolley, Elizabeth

Jolley, Elizabeth
▪ 2008
Monica Elizabeth Knight 
      British-born Australian novelist and short-story writer

born June 4, 1923 , Birmingham, Eng.

died Feb. 13, 2007 , Perth, Australia
crafted dryly comic fiction filled with eccentric characters, especially women, lovingly portrayed. Jolley was raised in a German-speaking household in England. She moved to Perth in 1959 when her husband became a librarian at the University of Western Australia, and her work often contrasts a stagnant Europe and a brash, vital Australia. She began writing her first novel, Palomino, in the late 1950s, but because publishers were wary of the story (which concerns a lesbian relationship between a 60-year-old doctor and a much younger woman pregnant with her own brother's child), it was not printed until 1980. Five Acre Virgin, the first of several short-story collections, came out in 1976. Jolley won numerous awards, including the The Age newspaper's Book of the Year Award three times—for Mr. Scobie's Riddle (1983), My Father's Moon (1989), and The Georges' Wife (1993). Her other novels included The Newspaper of Claremont Street (1981), Miss Peabody's Inheritance (1983), The Well (1986; filmed 1997), Lovesong (1997), and An Innocent Gentleman (2001). She also wrote radio plays, notably a dramatization of her short story “Woman in a Lampshade.” Jolley was awarded the Order of Australia in 1988 and was named a National Living Treasure in 1997.

* * *

▪ Australian author
original name in full  Monica Elizabeth Knight  
born June 4, 1923, Birmingham, Eng.
died Feb. 13, 2007, Perth, Austl.

      British-born Australian novelist and short-story writer whose dryly comic work features eccentric characters and examines relationships between women.

      Jolley was raised in a German-speaking household in England. She moved from England to Australia in 1959, and her work often features contrasts between a stagnant Europe and a brash, vital Australia. She began writing her first novel, Palomino, in the late 1950s, but because publishers were wary of the story, which concerns a lesbian relationship between a 60-year-old doctor and a much younger woman pregnant with her own brother's child, it was not printed until 1980. The Newspaper of Claremont Street (1981) was praised for its humour and sombre insight into the characters' psychopathology.

      The publication of her third and fourth novels earned Jolley admiration outside Australia for her effortless comic style and deft storytelling. In Mr. Scobie's Riddle (1983), set in a nursing home, outcast patients come to terms with their own alienation and imminent death. Miss Peabody's Inheritance (1983), considered Jolley's funniest book, explores her two favourite themes: love between women and the contrast between the Old World and the New. Jolley's later novels include Foxybaby (1985), The Well (1986; filmed 1997), The Sugar Mother (1988), My Father's Moon (1989), and The Georges' Wife (1993).

      Jolley wrote several radio plays that were broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, including a dramatization of her short story "Woman in a Lampshade." The 1983 collection of the same name, although considered uneven, was praised for its innovative writing.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Elizabeth Jolley — Infobox Person name = Elizabeth Jolley image size = caption = Professor Elizabeth Jolley birth date = 4 June 1923 birth place = Birmingham, England death date = 13 February 2007 death place = Perth, Western Australia education = occupation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Elizabeth Jolley — (* 4. Juni 1923 in Birmingham, England; † 13. Februar 2007 in Perth, Australien) war eine australische Schriftstellerin. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Frühe Jahre 2 Karriere als Schriftstellerin 3 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Elizabeth Jolley — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Elizabeth Jolley Nombre Monica Elizabeth Jolley Nacimiento 4 de junio de 1923 Birmingham (Inglaterra) Defunción …   Wikipedia Español

  • Jolley — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Elizabeth Jolley (1923–2007), australische Schriftstellerin John L. Jolley (1840–1926), US amerikanischer Politiker Jolly ist der Name folgender Orte: ein Ort in Iowa, siehe Jolley (Iowa) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jolley — /ˈdʒɒli/ (say jolee) noun (Monica) Elizabeth, 1923–2007, Australian novelist and short story writer, born in England; works include Mr Scobie s Riddle (1982) and The Well (1986). Elizabeth Jolley moved from England to WA in 1959 and worked as a… …  

  • Elisabeth Jolley — Monica Élisabeth Jolley (4 juin 1923, Birmingham, Angleterre 13 février 2007, Perth, Australie Occidentale) était une romancière anglaise qui a vécu en Australie Occidentale à partir des années 1950. Elle avait 53 ans lorsqu… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Australia — /aw strayl yeuh/, n. 1. a continent SE of Asia, between the Indian and the Pacific oceans. 18,438,824; 2,948,366 sq. mi. (7,636,270 sq. km). 2. Commonwealth of, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, consisting of the federated states and… …   Universalium

  • Contenu:Australie — Projet:Australie/Liste des articles Liste mise à jour régulièrement par MyBot (d · c · b) à partir des articles liés au bandeau {{Portail Australie}} Modifications récentes des articles ayant le bandeau de ce portail… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Australische Schriftsteller — Australien existiert erst seit etwas über 100 Jahren als eigenständige Nation und die australische Literatur ist somit noch relativ jung. Die meisten australischen Schriftsteller sind in Deutschland weitgehend unbekannt, auch wenn der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”