Barbara Jefferis
Encyclopedia
Barbara Jefferis AM
(25 March 1917 Adelaide, South Australia - 3 January 2004 Sydney, New South Wales) was an Australia
n author
.
when Barbara was born.
When Barbara was about 6 months old her mother died. Due to the war, her father remained in England and Barbara was taken into the care of her aged maternal grandfather, who was a widower. He died when Barbara was three year old, and she then lived with her paternal grandmother and was absorbed into that woman's extensive group of grandchildren. Jefferis later said, "Even as a child, I was determined to be a writer, although I hadn't a very clear idea what that meant. When I was very small I had a slightly younger cousin who always wanted to hear stories, and for some reason I used to write them ... I rather think it was because a story wasn't a story until it was written down."
At age eight her father returned from England and was employed at Roseworthy Agricultural Collegehttp://www.adelaide.edu.au/campuses/roseworthy (now part of the University of Adelaide
) in the country some 50 km north of Adelaide. Barbara enjoyed the country life but was sent to boarding school after relations soured with her new stepmother.
She was educated as a boarder
in Adelaide and then began a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Adelaide
. In her second year she won the Jefferis Memorial Medal for Philosophy
, named in honour of her paternal grandfather, Dr James Jefferis, a Congregational minister, philosopher and natural scientist
, whom she had never met.
on The Daily News. Within a short time she married John Hamilton Hinde
, a journalist on the same newspaper, and later famous as film critic for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Jefferis later worked at The Telegraph, Women's Weekly, and Pix.
The couple's daughter, Rosalind, was born in 1944, with Hinde overseas as an ABC war correspondent
. Being a mother caused a transition in work and, as a freelance radio writer, Jefferis went on to write more than 50 radio dramas and dramatised documentaries as well as serials, scientific and educational programmes.
In 1953, Jefferis decided to enter the lucrative Sydney Morning Herald prize, given annually for an unpublished novel. Over three weeks she wrote Contango Day, co-winner of that year's award. The novel features the first of Barbara's empowered female heroes. It was published in Britain and America in 1954, developing a pattern of her novels being far better known overseas than in Australia, with her books also being translated into a number of Asian and European languages.
cats, and over four decades, held positions including president of the Siamese Cat Society and chair of the Royal Agricultural Society's Cat Control Consultative Committee.
Jefferis was a founding member, and first female president (1973), of the Australian Society of Authors
.
for services to literature.
In 1995, she was recognised with an Emeritus Award of the Australia Council
.
was created in 2007 in her honour. The literary prize is one of Australia's richest, the result of a $1 million bequest
by John Hinde
to commemorate his wife of 64 years. The Australian Society of Authors
(ASA) administers the Barbara Jefferis Award, which goes to the author of "the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society." The annual prize is at least $35,000 but is likely to be around $42,000 to match the Miles Franklin Award
.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(25 March 1917 Adelaide, South Australia - 3 January 2004 Sydney, New South Wales) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Early life, and character formation
Barbara Jefferis was the daughter of Tarlton Jefferis and Lucy Barbara Ingoldsby (Smythe). Her father was one of Australia's leading analytical chemists, and was in England working as an adviser to the munitions industry during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when Barbara was born.
When Barbara was about 6 months old her mother died. Due to the war, her father remained in England and Barbara was taken into the care of her aged maternal grandfather, who was a widower. He died when Barbara was three year old, and she then lived with her paternal grandmother and was absorbed into that woman's extensive group of grandchildren. Jefferis later said, "Even as a child, I was determined to be a writer, although I hadn't a very clear idea what that meant. When I was very small I had a slightly younger cousin who always wanted to hear stories, and for some reason I used to write them ... I rather think it was because a story wasn't a story until it was written down."
At age eight her father returned from England and was employed at Roseworthy Agricultural Collegehttp://www.adelaide.edu.au/campuses/roseworthy (now part of the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
) in the country some 50 km north of Adelaide. Barbara enjoyed the country life but was sent to boarding school after relations soured with her new stepmother.
She was educated as a boarder
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Adelaide and then began a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. In her second year she won the Jefferis Memorial Medal for Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, named in honour of her paternal grandfather, Dr James Jefferis, a Congregational minister, philosopher and natural scientist
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
, whom she had never met.
Work
In 1939, she left university and moved to Sydney to work as a journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
on The Daily News. Within a short time she married John Hamilton Hinde
John Hinde
John Hamilton Hinde AM was an Australian broadcaster and film reviewer. He worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for more than fifty years, in both television and radio....
, a journalist on the same newspaper, and later famous as film critic for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Jefferis later worked at The Telegraph, Women's Weekly, and Pix.
The couple's daughter, Rosalind, was born in 1944, with Hinde overseas as an ABC war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
. Being a mother caused a transition in work and, as a freelance radio writer, Jefferis went on to write more than 50 radio dramas and dramatised documentaries as well as serials, scientific and educational programmes.
In 1953, Jefferis decided to enter the lucrative Sydney Morning Herald prize, given annually for an unpublished novel. Over three weeks she wrote Contango Day, co-winner of that year's award. The novel features the first of Barbara's empowered female heroes. It was published in Britain and America in 1954, developing a pattern of her novels being far better known overseas than in Australia, with her books also being translated into a number of Asian and European languages.
Social and professional activities
Jefferis was a breeder of SiameseSiamese (cat)
The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Thailand. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichian Mat...
cats, and over four decades, held positions including president of the Siamese Cat Society and chair of the Royal Agricultural Society's Cat Control Consultative Committee.
Jefferis was a founding member, and first female president (1973), of the Australian Society of Authors
Australian Society of Authors
The Australian Society of Authors is the peak body representing Australia's literary creators and is the major advocate for the rights and remuneration of authors in Australia...
.
Awards
In 1986, Jefferis was made a member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for services to literature.
In 1995, she was recognised with an Emeritus Award of the Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
.
Barbara Jefferis Award
The Barbara Jefferis AwardBarbara Jefferis Award
The Barbara Jefferis Award is an Australian Literary award prize. The award was created in 2007 after being endowed by John Hinde upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis. It is funded by his $1 million bequest....
was created in 2007 in her honour. The literary prize is one of Australia's richest, the result of a $1 million bequest
Bequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
by John Hinde
John Hinde
John Hamilton Hinde AM was an Australian broadcaster and film reviewer. He worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for more than fifty years, in both television and radio....
to commemorate his wife of 64 years. The Australian Society of Authors
Australian Society of Authors
The Australian Society of Authors is the peak body representing Australia's literary creators and is the major advocate for the rights and remuneration of authors in Australia...
(ASA) administers the Barbara Jefferis Award, which goes to the author of "the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society." The annual prize is at least $35,000 but is likely to be around $42,000 to match the Miles Franklin Award
Miles Franklin Award
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
.
Books and publications
- Australian Book Contracts (ca. 1994)
- The good, the bad and the greedy : how Australian publishers are rated by their authors (1989)
- Three of a Kind (1982)
- The Drover's Wife (1980) - short story in The BulletinThe BulletinThe Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
- The Tall One (1977)
- Time of the Unicorn (1974)
- One Black Summer (1967)
- The Wild Grapes (1963)
- Solo for Several Players (1961)
- Half-Angel (1959)
- Beloved Lady (1956)
- Contango Day (1953)
Trivia
- In 1961 the New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
author F.E. Dickie, using the pseudonymPseudonymA pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of John Tempest, wrote a children's book The White Deer. It was withdrawn from sale due to strong similarities to Jefferis' Half-Angel.