My Brilliant Career ?

Miles Franklin was a strong minded Australian lady who pulled no punches when it came to dealing with the publishing industry.
There was a misunderstanding when "My Brilliant Career" was published in England... they omitted the satirical question mark in the title and Ms Franklin was suitably irked. Worse, she had wished to keep her privacy by not revealing her gender, the opposite problem to that faced by the Bronte sisters. They chose masculine names in order to get ahead and find publishers by pretending to be men. Miles Franklin did not wish anybody to know that she was a young woman and preferred the anonymity of a male pseudonym. However, she was rumbled and a virtual flood of admiring fan letters led to unwelcome "notoriety".
The remedy was simple. "My Brilliant Career" was removed from circulation and it took until the middle of the 20th century before readers could buy a copy again.

Appearing in 1901, this is not simply a remarkable book. It is astonishing as it was written by a sixteen year old in an autobiographical style that reveals a mind fully formed and ready to take society by storm.

It is not as funny as the film which starred Judy Davis and which removed much of the realistic hardship suffered by the heroine as she tries to find her way in the world of very demanding adults.

I enjoyed reading so much I cannot think that a review is even necessary. There are plenty already on the Internet and a search will give links to many insights into Ms Franklin's lively mind.

I had an interesing conversation in the shop where I bought this book. It took some effort to explain that Miles Franklin was not a recluse and that I admired her ability to stand her ground when it came to publishing her work.

Strange to think that a sense of privacy of the sort expressed in the early 20th century is now a thing of the past.
I imagine that Ms Franklin would have refused point blank to tout her wares by doing book readings and signings. She worked hard at her trade all her life and was a nurse during the Great War.
Always aware of the struggle faced by writers she left a bequest for the foundation of the Miles Franklin Literary Prize which has helped numerous artists since the first winner was Patrick White for his novel "Voss" in 1957".

http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/about_history

As I write this, there is no news in Europe at the moment of the fires that ravaged New South Wales recently. Anybody who is interested in the "real" Australia, with its droughts and strong minded farmers will enjoy reading Miles Franklin. Her writing is a million miles away from the fashionable beach culture of today.