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Dorothy Hewett Dorothy Hewett i(A33480 works by) (a.k.a. Dorothy Coade Hewett)
Also writes as: Jael Paris
Born: Established: 21 May 1923 Perth, Western Australia, ; Died: Ceased: 25 Aug 2002 Blue Mountains, Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

Dorothy Coade Hewett was born and raised in Western Australia on an isolated farm in the wheat belt town of Wickepin. Until the age of twelve, she was educated by correspondence and had already begun writing short stories and poems. Between 1928 and 1938, Western Australia's Education Department conducted a program for correspondence pupils to develop poetry appreciation and writing skills. Pupils were sent illustrated 'Pattern Poetry' which they could follow to develop form and rhyming skills. Those who showed promise were then given special attention. Hewett's poem, 'Dreaming', written when she was nine years old, was published in an anthology of the children's work in 1938. Hewett later attended the University of Western Australia and at nineteen her poetry appeared in Meanjin. By the age of twenty-two she had won a drama competition and a national poetry competition.

In 1944 Hewett married Lloyd Davies and had one child. In 1948, after the failure of the marriage, she moved to Sydney where she lived and worked in factories in the poorer areas of of the city. For nine years she lived with Les Flood, boiler-maker and communist, with whom she had three sons. (One of those sons is the novelist Tom Flood.) Hewett had joined the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) when she was nineteen and was heavily involved in CPA activities in Sydney. (She resigned from the party in in 1968 following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.) Her novel Bobbin Up (1959), written in six weeks, was based on her own experience of working in a spinning mill, her membership of the CPA at that time, and her life in the inner city working class suburbs of Sydney.

When her relationship with Flood ended in 1960, Hewett returned to Perth, resumed studies at the University of Western Australia, completed her degree, taught English at the University of Western Australia and married Merv Lilley, merchant seaman and communist, with whom she had two daughters. (One of the daughters is the poet Kate Lilley.) After some years of tutoring at the university, Hewett again moved to Sydney and resumed writing. In her last years she and Merv Lilley moved to the Blue Mountains area of New South Wales.

Dorothy Hewett published collections of poetry, novels, an autobiography, and plays, as well as numerous articles and short stories. She was writer-in-residence at universities in Australia and the USA, she was awarded eight fellowships by the Literature Board of the Australia Council, and she had a lifetime Emeritus Fellowship from the Literature Board. Hewett was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to literature.

Exhibitions

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Selected Poems of Dorothy Hewett Crawley : UWA Publishing , 2010 Z1706151 2010 selected work poetry (taught in 2 units) 'Dorothy Hewett is one of Australia's best known poets. She had a long and frequently controversial career during which she produced twelve collections of poetry, three novels, an autobiography, thirteen plays and countless articles and short stories. This very special volume has been compiled and introduced by Kate Lilley, a poet, scholar and Dorothy's daughter.' (From the publisher's website.)
2010 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Poetry
y separately published work icon A Baker's Dozen Ringwood : Penguin , 2001 Z819397 2001 selected work short story "The thirteen stories in this superb collection span the period from 1957 to 1996, creating a vivid portrait of Australian life during these years. Dorothy Hewett casts her perceptive eye over race relations, single mothers, communism, dodging the law - nothing is too great or small for her unstinting gaze"--cover.
2001 winner FAW Short Story Competition
2001 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Fiction

Known archival holdings

University of Queensland University of Queensland Library Fryer Library (QLD)
National Library of Australia (ACT)
Last amended 28 Jan 2015 16:01:06
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