Sylvia Martin Sylvia Martin i(A27205 works by)
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

BiographyHistory

Dr Sylvia Martin is a writer, cultural historian and former actor. She has also worked as a reviewer, editor and manuscript assessor. Her research interests include feminist auto/biography, Australian women's writing, and theories of sexuality. She has been a scholar based at the University of Tasmania.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Ida Leeson : A Life Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2006 Z1285476 2006 single work biography

'A girl from a working class background, Ida Leeson successfully penetrated the bourgeoisie to become a woman of achievement in what was still predominantly a man's world. When she was appointed Mitchell Librarian in 1932 there was very public controversy over whether it was appropriate to appoint a woman to such a senior position.

'In what we now acknowledge to be a heroic period of Australian writing and publishing, Ida became a trailblazer for women, for librarians, and a champion of the lively literary culture of Australia in the 1930s and 1940s. She was friendly with many of the leading literary figures of the time, such as James McAuley, Christopher Brennan, Marjorie Barnard, Flora Eldershaw and most notably Miles Franklin, for whom she was a kind of honorary proof-reader and literary advisor (she was even written into the novel Pioneers on Parade by Miles Franklin and Dymphna Cusack).

'She was also a close friend of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, and for some time both Ida and her partner, Florence Birch, lived as part of the bohemian enclave the Griffins established around them at Castlecrag. Brought to vivid life by Sylvia Martin, here is the story of a pioneering woman who lead an extraordinary life.' (Publisher's blurb)

2008 winner ASAL Awards The Australian Historical Association Awards Magarey Medal for Biography
2007 shortlisted Kibble Literary Awards Nita Kibble Literary Award
2007 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction
y separately published work icon Passionate Friends : Mary Fullerton, Mabel Singleton, and Miles Franklin London : Onlywomen , 2001 Z911348 2001 single work biography

'A study of 20th century female friendship played out in Australia and England. Ms Martin concentrates on two important friendships in the life of writer and political activist, Mary Fullerton. Mabel Singleton, Mary's companion of more than 30 years, and the parenting of Mabel's only child inform research into the erotic elements of their writings. While Miles Franklin and Mary were colleagues, all three were devoted friends.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2002 shortlisted Independent Scholars Association of Australia (ISAA) Book Prize
Last amended 25 Jan 2016 06:54:31
Other mentions of "" in AustLit:
    X