AustLit

'For many years, Truganini was described erroneously as ‘the last full-blooded Tasmanian Aborigine’. A figure of sadness and nostalgia akin to the last Tasmanian tiger, few Australians understood her reality or grasped what her death in 1876 really represented. Historian Cassandra Pybus, in the preface to her compelling new biography: Truganini: Journey through the apocalypse, published in 2020, says ‘a lot of what is said or written about her is myth and fabrication.’ Pybus sets out to correct these untruths using extensive documentation including eyewitness accounts, personal letters and official correspondence. She aims to bring Truganini back to life by recreating her as ‘a lively, intelligent and sensual woman.’' (Introduction)