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Miles Franklin

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Miles Franklin was a famous Australian writer and feminist.

The white feather
The white feather

She wanted to help create a special kind of literature for Australia. She spent her life supporting new writers and literary groups. Her most famous book is a novel called My Brilliant Career. It was published in 1901 and tells a story about a girl growing up in rural New South Wales.

Miles Franklin, 1901 (31523140262)
Miles Franklin, 1901 (31523140262)

This book helped make her a well-known name in the world of writing.

Franklin lived a very busy life with many different jobs. After her first big success, she tried working as a nurse. She also worked as a housemaid in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Later, she moved to the United States to do secretarial work.

SLNSW 822094 21 Miles Franklin
SLNSW 822094 21 Miles Franklin

She even worked as a cook and an orderly in a tent hospital during a war. This hospital was near Lake Ostrovo in Macedonian Greece. She worked there from July 1917 until February 1918.

She was born in Talbingo, New South Wales, in 1879.

SLNSW 822152 No 39 Suzannah F amp John Franklin parents of Stella Miles Franklin
SLNSW 822152 No 39 Suzannah F amp John Franklin parents of Stella Miles Franklin

Her parents were John Maurice Franklin and Susannah Margaret Eleanor Franklin. She grew up on a property called Brindabella Station in the Brindabella Valley. As a young student, her teachers encouraged her to write. One of these teachers was a man named Tom Hebblewhite. He was the editor of a local newspaper in Goulburn.

Franklin often used different names when she wrote her books. She sometimes used the name "Brent of Bin Bin" to protect herself from bad reviews.

Miles Franklin's waratah cup and saucer 1904 a834001
Miles Franklin's waratah cup and saucer 1904 a834001

In 1936, she published All That Swagger under her own name. This book won the S. H. Prior Memorial Prize. She also won that same prize in 1939 with Kate Baker. They worked together on a book about Joseph Furphy. These successes showed her great skill as a writer.

Today, many people remember her through special awards and places.

Miles Franklin's waratah cup and saucer 1904 a834001
Miles Franklin's waratah cup and saucer 1904 a834001

She left money in her will to start the Miles Franklin Award. This prize goes to books about Australian life. In 2013, a new prize called the Stella Prize was also created for Australian women. You can even find a suburb in Canberra named Franklin. There are also schools named after her in places like Tumut. Her work still helps Australian stories grow.

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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:SLNSW 822152 No 39 Suzannah F amp John Franklin parents of Stella Miles Franklin.jpg
SLNSW 822152 No 39 Suzannah F amp John...
File:Miles Franklin, 1901 (31523140262).jpg
Miles Franklin, 1901 (31523140262).jpg
File:SLNSW 822094 21 Miles Franklin.jpg
SLNSW 822094 21 Miles Franklin.jpg
File:Miles Franklin's waratah cup and saucer 1904 a834001.jpg
Miles Franklin's waratah cup and saucer...
File:The white feather.jpg
The white feather.jpg
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