Louisa (biography)
| Author | Brian Matthews |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | University of Queensland Press |
Publication date | 1987 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 421 pp. |
| ISBN | 0869140388 |
| Preceded by | Romantics and Mavericks: The Australian Short Story |
| Followed by | Quickening and Other Stories |
Louisa (1987) is a biography of Louisa Lawson by Australian writer Brian Matthews. It was originally published by University of Queensland Press in Australia in 1987.[1]
Critical reception[edit]
Writing in The Canberra Times critic Peter Pierce noted: "The gaps in the biographical record of our writers are gradually being filled. Recently we have had Lawson's Archibald, Munro's Stephensen, Kinnane's Johnston. In progress are biographies of Gilmore, Furphy, Boyd and Stead. But following the audacious experiment of Louisa and its brilliant success (even as, and because Matthews admits not to have resolved all the problems of an alternative text), the game will never be the same again." And he concluded "...readers of Louisa are compelled to recognise 'a great Australian woman whose face has been in shadow too long'. Those readers will encounter a book that will radically affect literary scholarship in Australia. At the same time it is not only an outstanding biography, but one of the finest stories yet told here."[2]
Publication history[edit]
After its original publication in 1987 in Australia by publisher University of Queensland Press[3] the biography was later republished as follows:
- McPhee Gribble, Australia, 1987 and 1988[1]
- University of Queensland Press, Australia, 1998[1]
Awards[edit]
- ALS Gold Medal, 1988, winner[4]
- New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Douglas Stewart Prize, 1988, winner[5]
- Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Nettie Palmer Prize for Nonfiction, 1988, winner[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Austlit — Louisa by Brian Matthews (University of Queensland Press) 1987". Austlit. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ ""Louisa Lawson: a life emerges from the shadows of time"". The Canberra Times, 12 December 1987, p18. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Louisa (UQP 1987)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ ""Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction 1988"". Austlit. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ ""Victorian Premier's Prize for Nonfiction — 1988"". Austlit. Retrieved 31 December 2023.