Charmian clift biography
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Fifty years after her death, Australian writer Charmian Clift is experiencing a renaissance. Born in , Clift co-authored three novels with her husband George Johnston, wrote two under her own name, produced two travel memoirs, and had weekly column widely syndicated to major Australia papers during the the s.
Clift has long been overshadowed by the legacy of Johnston, whose novel My Brother Jack is considered an Australian classic. Her novels and memoirs are sadly out of print, yet she is increasingly recognised for her important place in Australian culture.
In she, along with Johnston, was inducted into the Australian Media Hall of Fame in recognition of her work as a columnist. She is also being reimagined in fiction, as the subject of A Theatre of Dreamers (), a forthcoming novel by English author, Polly Samson, and in Tamar Hodes’ The Water and the Wine ().
The revival of interest in Clift is more than a collective nostalgia or feminist correction of the historical record, although both are relevant. Many of her readers from the 60s still remember her newspaper column, and the impact that it had on their view of Australia’s place in the world, with great affection.
Younger generations, particularly women, have also been exposed to Clift’s clear and passionate voic
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Charmian Clift
Australian writer (–)
Charmian Clift | |
|---|---|
Clift in | |
| Born | ()30 August Kiama, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 8 July () (aged&#;45) Sydney |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3; including Martin Johnston |
Charmian Clift (30 August – 8 July ) was an Australian writer. She was the second wife and literary collaborator of George Johnston.
Early life
[edit]Clift was born 30 August in Kiama, a coastal town kilometres south of Sydney.[1]
In she won a Beach Girl competition run by Pix magazine and soon after moved to Sydney where she did modelling work to supplement her main job as an usherette at the Minerva Theatre.[2] In , aged 19, she became pregnant and gave up her child for adoption.[3]
In April Clift enlisted in the Australian Army, where she gained the rank of Lance Bombardier in charge of a group of gunners housed in Drummoyne.[4]
Career
[edit]After Clift and husband George Johnston's collaboration High Valley () won them recognition as writers, they left Australia with their young family, working in London. In November they relocated to the Greek island of Kalymnos and later Hydra to try living by the pen.[5][2] She met the songwriter Leonard Cohen whi
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