Elizabeth Harrower (writer) facts for kids

Elizabeth Harrower (born February 8, 1928 – died July 7, 2020) was a famous Australian writer. She wrote many novels and short stories. People often called her "one of the great novelists of Sydney."

Her books often explored difficult topics. She wrote about unfair treatment in relationships. This included how some people might try to control or trick others. She showed how strong women could be, even when facing challenges.

Early Life

Elizabeth Harrower was born in Sydney, Australia. She spent her childhood in Newcastle, New South Wales. This was an industrial city. She lived there with her grandmother. Her parents had divorced earlier.

Later, she lived in London, England, from 1951 to 1959. When she returned to Sydney, she worked in different jobs. She reviewed books for The Sydney Morning Herald. She also worked for the ABC and in publishing companies.

Her Writing Career

Elizabeth Harrower wrote her first three novels quite quickly. Her first book, Down in the City, came out in 1957. Another famous writer, Christina Stead, really liked her work. She especially praised Harrower's book The Long Prospect.

In 1971, Elizabeth Harrower had a fifth novel ready. It was called In Certain Circles. But she suddenly decided not to publish it. This happened after her mother passed away.

In an interview, Harrower explained her decision. She said she felt pressured to write the book. She had received a special grant (money to help writers). She called the writing process "forced labour." After this, she wrote only a few short stories. By 1977, she stopped writing completely.

For many years, her books were hard to find. They were no longer being printed. But in 2012, things changed. Editors at a company called Text Publishing decided to reprint her works. They worked to convince Harrower to publish In Certain Circles. She finally agreed, and the novel came out in 2014.

This book received very good reviews. It made people interested in all of Elizabeth Harrower's novels again. In 2015, a collection of her short stories was published. It was called A Few Days in the Country: And Other Stories.

Death

Elizabeth Harrower died on July 7, 2020. She was 92 years old.

Awards and Recognition

Elizabeth Harrower received several important awards for her writing:

• 1968: Commonwealth Literary Fund fellowship
• 1974: Australian Council for the Arts fellowship
• 1996: Patrick White Award
• 2015: Voss Literary Prize for In Certain Circles
• 2015: In Certain Circles was also a finalist for the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
• 2016: Queensland Literary Awards - University of Southern Queensland Australian Short Story Collection - Steele Rudd Award — she shared this award for A Few Days in the Country and other stories