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y separately published work icon My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters anthology   correspondence   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 1993... 1993 My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Miles Franklin wrote the first of these letters at Brindabella in 1887, over a decade before she started My Brilliant Career, the novel that famously propelled her out of the bush and on to Sydney and the world. The correspondence follows her to the Women′s Trade Union League in Chicago, to war work in the Balkans, to a return to writing in London, and finally home in the 1930s.

'After her nearly thirty years away, the letters now more than ever allowed Miles to share with "her congenials" - friends in England, Europe, the USA and Australia - experiences, memories and, above all, her commitment to Australian literature. The last letter in this collection was written only sixteen days before her death.

'As well as Miles Franklin′s own witty and provocative correspondence, the selection includes letters from her life-long friends, such as Alice Henry and Vida Goldstein, Katharine Susannah Pritchard, Dymphna Cusack and Beatrice Davis.

'Selected and edited by Jill Roe, the letters crackle with the surprises of a life richly lived.' (From the publisher's website, second edition.)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Pymble, Turramurra - Pymble - St Ives area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Angus and Robertson ; State Library of New South Wales , 1993 .
      Alternative title: My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters : Volume One : 1879-1938 My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters : Volume Two : 1939-1954
      Extent: xxvii, 384p.; xii, 396p.p.
      Description: illus., facsims, ports
      Note/s:
      • Introduction by Jill Roe; contains a biographical overview of Franklin's life, a discussion of the cultural relevance of Franklin's correspondence and notes on the editorial changes made to the letters.

        The introduction to volume two is an abridged version of the introduction that appears in volume one.

      • Contents: v. 1. 1879-1938; v. 2. 1939-1954.
      • Includes index and bibliography.
      ISBN: 020716925X (v. 1), 0207178607 (v. 2)
    • Pymble, Turramurra - Pymble - St Ives area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: HarperCollins Australia , 2010 .
      Extent: 797p.
      Edition info: 2nd ed.
      Note/s:
      • Includes index and bibliography.
      • 'Presented for the first time in one volume, with a fresh introduction and new notes, plus additional biographical data...' (From the publisher's website.)
      • Includes Editor's Note to the Second Edition (pp. vii-xiii)
      ISBN: 9780732280932 (pbk.)

Works about this Work

Biography Jill Roe , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 23 November 2010; (p. 7)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
'So Delightfully Miles, Gay, Intrepid and Unique!' Paul Brunton , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October no. 325 2010; (p. 14-15)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
Non-Fiction Fiona Capp , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 14 August 2010; (p. 24)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
Literary Lives in Letters Carole Ferrier , 2001 single work criticism
— Appears in: National Library of Australia News , August vol. 11 no. 11 2001; (p. 14-17)
Untitled Susan Lever , 1995 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 17 no. 1 1995; (p. 104-105)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
As Paradoxical As a Platypus Sylvia Martin , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Women's Book Review , June vol. 6 no. 2 1994; (p. 15-16)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
Non-Fiction Fiona Capp , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 14 August 2010; (p. 24)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
'So Delightfully Miles, Gay, Intrepid and Unique!' Paul Brunton , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October no. 325 2010; (p. 14-15)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
Biography Jill Roe , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 23 November 2010; (p. 7)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
A Brilliant Career Dorothy Hewett , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: Overland , Summer no. 137 1994; (p. 85-86) Selected Prose of Dorothy Hewett 2011; (p. 123-128)

— Review of My Congenials : Miles Franklin and Friends in Letters Miles Franklin , 1993 anthology correspondence biography
Literary Lives in Letters Carole Ferrier , 2001 single work criticism
— Appears in: National Library of Australia News , August vol. 11 no. 11 2001; (p. 14-17)
Last amended 28 Jul 2014 11:08:31
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