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Miles Franklin

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Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin was a prominent Australian writer and feminist.

The white feather
The white feather

She is best known for her 1901 novel, My Brilliant Career. This book tells the story of Sybylla Melvyn, an irrepressible girl growing into womanhood in rural New South Wales. Franklin was deeply committed to developing a uniquely Australian form of literature. She achieved this by supporting various writers, literary journals, and professional organizations. Her influence remains vital to Australian literary life today.

Franklin's early life was rooted in the Australian landscape. 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 at Brindabella Station in the Brindabella Valley. Her family was part of the squattocracy, a term for wealthy landowners. During her schooling, two people were vital to her development. Her teacher, Mary Gillespie, and Tom Hebblewhite, a local newspaper editor, both encouraged her writing.

Franklin led a life of significant movement and diverse labor. After her first literary success, she worked as a nurse and a housemaid in Sydney and Melbourne. She often wrote for newspapers like The Sydney Morning Herald using pseudonyms like "Vernacular." In 1906, she moved to the United States. There, she performed secretarial work for Alice Henry at the National Women's Trade Union League in Chicago. She also co-edited the magazine Life and Labor.

SLNSW 822094 21 Miles Franklin
SLNSW 822094 21 Miles Franklin

These international experiences shaped her perspective on nationality and class.

Her time in Europe included intense service during a period of conflict. In 1917, Franklin volunteered for war work with the Scottish Women's Hospitals. She served in the Ostrovo Unit during the Serbian campaigns.

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

From July 1917 to February 1918, she worked in a 200-bed tent hospital near Lake Ostrovo in Macedonian Greece. She held roles as both a cook and a matron's orderly. This experience was traumatic for her and influenced her staunchly anti-war views. She later worked in London as a secretary for the National Housing and Town Planning Association.

Franklin often navigated the pressures of literary reputation through various methods. She frequently used pseudonyms to protect her identity from critics. For example, she wrote several historical bush novels under the name "Brent of Bin Bin." She feared that nothing she wrote could match the massive success of My Brilliant Career. However, she found major success under her own name in 1936. Her novel All That Swagger won the S. H. Prior Memorial Prize. In 1939, she won the same prize alongside Kate Baker for their collaboration on a biography of Joseph Furphy.

Her personal home in Carlton, New South Wales, served as a cultural hub.

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

She entertained many literary figures and encouraged young writers like Jean Devanny and Ric Throssell. Guests often used her Waratah Book to leave autographs and inscriptions. They also drank tea from her unique, octagonal Waratah Cup. Franklin was a constant presence at cultural events, where she championed free speech. She was a dedicated member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and the Sydney PEN Club.

Franklin's legacy is preserved through major literary institutions and honors. In her will, she established the Miles Franklin Award. This annual prize recognizes literature regarding "Australian Life in any of its phases." The first recipient was Patrick White in 1957. Her name is also honored in geography, such as the Canberra suburb of Franklin. In 2013, the Stella Prize was created to honor the best work by Australian women. Her life and work continue to be studied and celebrated across the globe.

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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...
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The white feather.jpg
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