Brenda Niall
Author of The Boyds : a family biography
About the Author
Brenda Niall is an Australian author, literary critic and journalist, born in 1930. She has degrees from the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University and Monash University. In 2004 she was awarded the Order of Australia for 'services to Australian literature, as an academic, show more biographer and literary critic'. Her first book was the biography, Martin Boyd (1974). Her later work includes Life Class, The Riddle of Father Hackett: a life in Ireland and Australia, True North: the story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack and Mannix, for which she won the 2016 Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, and the 2016 National Biography Award, presented by the State Library of New South Wales. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Brenda Niall
Friends And Rivals. Four Great Australian Writers. Barbara Baynton. Ethel Turner. Nettie Palmer. Henry Handel… (2020) 19 copies, 1 review
Australia Through the Looking-Glass: Children's Fiction, 1830-1980 (1984) — Editor — 14 copies, 1 review
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Niall, Brenda Mary
- Birthdate
- 1930-11-25
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Australia
- Birthplace
- St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
- Education
- Genazzano FCJ College
University of Melbourne
Australian National University
Monash University - Occupations
- literary critic
biographer - Awards and honors
- Order of Australia (2004)
Members
Reviews
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 18
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 274
- Popularity
- #84,603
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 7
- ISBNs
- 36
This is not a complete overview of children's fiction; more famous titles such as Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and The Magic Pudding are not the focus. This is an examination of how authors wrote for children, especially in the 1800s and pre-War years of the 20th century, especially in light of the strange circumstances of being a colonial outpost. Niall finds many dozens of examples of now forgotten novels written for young people, tying a long thread between them to explore how Australians saw themselves, and how adults attempted to convey their understanding of the nation to Australian children. Unsurprisingly, many of the books deal with the conflict between city and country, the preservation of British identity, and gender norms. Perhaps equally unsurprisingly, Niall finds that the best books are those that shirk these expectations.
There are a few genuine surprises here, a few books I will want to seek out. But for the most part, these are popular works of their time, and I'm glad that Niall read them so I don't have to! A fascinating window into our history.… (more)