Inga Clendinnen
Encyclopedia
Inga Vivienne Clendinnen AO
(born 17 August 1934) is an Australian author and historian, anthropologist and academic.
, Clendinnen graduated from the University of Melbourne
in 1955 with a BA (Hons). She sporadically held the post of Senior Tutor of History there from 1955 to 1968, was a Lecturer at La Trobe University
from 1969 to 1982, and was then a Senior Lecturer in History until 1989. Forced to curtail her academic activities due to contracting hepatitis, Clendinnen retained an association with La Trobe University while working on her memoir, Tiger's Eye.
In 1999, she was invited to present the 40th annual Boyer Lectures
. Her lectures were published in 2000 as True Stories.
In the Australia Day
2006 Honours List, Clendinnen was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), with a citation that read:
Clendinnen's AO award was noted and a motion paying tribute to her contributions was passed, in the proceedings of the New South Wales
State Government's Upper House
.
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"...
(born 17 August 1934) is an Australian author and historian, anthropologist and academic.
Life and career
Born in Geelong, VictoriaGeelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
, Clendinnen graduated from the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
in 1955 with a BA (Hons). She sporadically held the post of Senior Tutor of History there from 1955 to 1968, was a Lecturer at La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
from 1969 to 1982, and was then a Senior Lecturer in History until 1989. Forced to curtail her academic activities due to contracting hepatitis, Clendinnen retained an association with La Trobe University while working on her memoir, Tiger's Eye.
In 1999, she was invited to present the 40th annual Boyer Lectures
Boyer Lectures
The Boyer Lectures began in 1959 as the ABC Lectures. They were renamed in 1961 after Richard Boyer , the ABC board chairman who had first suggested the lectures...
. Her lectures were published in 2000 as True Stories.
In the Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
2006 Honours List, Clendinnen was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), with a citation that read:
For service to scholarship as a writer and historian addressing issues of fundamental concern to Australian society and for contributing to shaping public debate on conflicting contemporary issues.
Clendinnen's AO award was noted and a motion paying tribute to her contributions was passed, in the proceedings of the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
State Government's Upper House
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
.
Books
- Ambivalent Conquests: Maya and Spaniard in Yucatán, 1517-1570 (1987)
- Aztecs: An Interpretation (1991)
- Reading the Holocaust (1998)
- Tiger's Eye - a Memoir (2000)
- True Stories (2000)
- Dancing with Strangers: Europeans and Australians at First Contact (2004)
- Agamemnon's kiss: selected essays (2006)
- The History Question: Who Owns the Past? Quarterly Essay 23 (2006)
- The Cost of Courage in Aztec Society: Essays on Mesoamerican Society and Culture (2010)
Awards and nominations
- 1988 - received the 1988 Herbert Eugene BoltonHerbert Eugene BoltonHerbert Eugene Bolton was an American historian and one of the most prominent authorities on Spanish American history...
Memorial Prize for Ambivalent Conquests - 1999 - winner of the NSW History Awards, Premier's General History Prize for Reading the Holocaust
- 1999 - Reading the Holocaust was judged Best Book of the Year by The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- 2000 - New South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsThe New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
, Gleebooks Prize for Critical Writing for Reading the Holocaust - 2002 - received the Adelaide Festival Award for Innovation for Tiger's Eye
- 2003 - received the Premier's History Award for her piece "History Here: a Vier from Outside"
- 2004 - New South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsThe New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
, Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction for Dancing with Strangers - 2005 - recipient of the ASA (Australian Society of Authors) biennial medal
- 2006 - Appointed an Officer in the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe 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 her services as a writer and historian. - 2007 - received the Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal