Leaping into Waterfalls: The enigmatic Gillian Mears

Awards:   Long-listed for Age Nonfiction Book of the Year 2022 (Australia) Short-listed for Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction 2022 (Australia) Short-listed for Margarey Medal for Biography 2022 (Australia) Short-listed for NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2022 (Australia) Winner of Margarey Medal for Biography 2022 (Australia) Winner of Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award 2022 (Australia)
Author:   Bernadette Brennan
Publisher:   Allen & Unwin
ISBN:  

9781760879785


Pages:   360
Publication Date:   28 September 2021
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Our Price $34.99 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Leaping into Waterfalls: The enigmatic Gillian Mears


Add your own review!

Awards

  • Long-listed for Age Nonfiction Book of the Year 2022 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction 2022 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Margarey Medal for Biography 2022 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2022 (Australia)
  • Winner of Margarey Medal for Biography 2022 (Australia)
  • Winner of Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award 2022 (Australia)

Overview

WINNER OF THE 2022 NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY AWARD Gillian Mears appeared to many to be a shy woman from Grafton, but her lived and imaginative lives were rich with adventure, risk and often transgressive passion. In her award-winning and acclaimed novels and short stories, Mears wrote fearlessly of the dark undercurrents of country and family life, always probing the depths and complexity of human desire. Mears' sensuality and sexuality were the driving forces of her life and writing. As an adult, she was plagued by ill health yet remained steadfast in her quest to be independent and free; while recovering from open-heart surgery, she traversed the country alone in a de-commissioned ambulance. By her mid-forties, multiple sclerosis had confined her to a wheelchair. Undaunted, she continued to write and publish until her death five years later in 2016. Mears amassed an extensive collection of diaries, letters, manuscripts, photographs, recordings and ephemera, and deposited it with the Mitchell Library. She was a prolific correspondent with significant figures of the cultural landscape-Gerald Murnane, David Malouf, Tim Winton, Elizabeth Jolley, Helen Garner, Drusilla Modjeska, Kate Grenville and Marr Grounds. This meticulous and moving biography reads Mears' life and work within that broader cultural community to celebrate her truly extraordinary achievements and adventures.

Full Product Details

Author:   Bernadette Brennan
Publisher:   Allen & Unwin
Imprint:   Allen & Unwin
Weight:   0.476kg
ISBN:  

9781760879785


ISBN 10:   1760879789
Pages:   360
Publication Date:   28 September 2021
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Bernadette Brennan is a critic and researcher of contemporary Australian writing. She is the author of a number of publications, including a monograph on Brian Castro and two edited collections: Just Words?: Australian Authors Writing for Justice (UQP 2008), and Ethical Investigations: Essays on Australian Literature and Poetics (Vagabond 2008). In 2017 she published her award-winning literary biography A Writing Life: Helen Garner and Her Work (Text). Her most recent book, Leaping Into Waterfalls: The Enigmatic Gillian Mears (A&U 2021), was shortlisted for the 2022 NSW Premier's Douglas Stewart award and won the prestigious Magarey Medal for Biography, the National Biography Award and the Age Book of the Year (non-fiction). Bernadette is also one of five judges for the Miles Franklin Award.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

wl

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List