AustLit

'In an echo of Neville Chamberlain’s 1938 ‘peace for our time’ speech, Jacqueline Kent’s biography of Vida Goldstein proclaims ‘VIDA’ as ‘A WOMAN FOR OUR TIME’. It joins an expanding genre of books that narrate the ‘extraordinary’ lives of Australian women aimed at a general readership. Recent additions include Robert Wainwright’s profile of Australian actor-suffragist Muriel Matters; Elizabeth Kleinhenz’s account of feminist Germaine Greer; Loretta Smith’s portrayal of car mechanic Alice Anderson; David Dufty’s account of electrical engineer Florence Violet McKenzie; Cathy Perkins’ depiction of passionate poet Zora Cross; Helen Ennis’ portrayal of modernist photographer Olive Cotton; and Kathy Mexted’s salutation to 10 women pilots ‘who refused to keep their feet on the ground’.' 

 (Introduction)