Elizabeth Riddell (21 March 1910 – 3 July 1998) was a New Zealand-born Australian poet and journalist.[1]
Elizabeth Riddell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 March 1910 Napier, New Zealand |
| Died | 3 July 1998 (aged 88) Sydney, New South Wales |
| Occupation | medical practitioner and poet |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | New Zelander |
| Years active | 1928-1998 |
| Notable awards | Walkley Award, Patrick White Award |
Life edit
Born in Napier, New Zealand, Elizabeth Richmond Riddell came to Australia in 1928 where she worked at Smith's Weekly and won a Walkley Award.[2]
She married Edward Neville 'Blue' Greatorex (1901–1964) in Sydney in 1935. The couple did not have children. In 1935 she moved to England and during World War II worked for Ezra Norton at The Daily Mirror, chiefly in New York City. Her first short book of poems, The Untrammelled, was published in 1940. After the war she returned to Australia to continue working as a journalist, and in the 1960s became art critic and feature writer for The Australian. She was the first Walkley Award winner for The Australian, winning in 1968 and 1969 for 'Best Newspaper Feature Story'.[3] In 1986 she was awarded Critic of the Year by the Australian Book Review.[4] Riddell's poetry won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry in 1992 and the Patrick White Award in 1995.
Widowed in 1964, Riddell died in 1998.[1]
Bibliography edit
- The Untrammelled. Sydney: Viking, 1940.
- Poems. Sydney: Ure Smith, 1948.
- Song for a Crowning. W. H. Paling, 1953. Songs with music by G. S. English.
- Forbears. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1961.
- Country Tune. J. Albert, 1973. Songs with music by G. S. English.
- From the midnight courtyard. Angus & Robertson, 1989.
- Selected Poems. Angus & Robertson, 1992.
- The Difficult Island. Molonglo, 1994.
References edit
- ^ a b "Riddell, Elizabeth". AustLit. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
- ^ ""$1,000 for Red Adair interview"". Canberra Times. The Canberra Times, 16 October 1969, p9. 16 October 1969. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
- ^ "Australian Biography: Elizabeth Riddell". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Adelaide, Debra (1988). Australian women writers: a bibliographic guide. Pandora. ISBN 978-0-86358-148-9.
External links edit
- His Day poem
- The Letter poem
- Elizabeth Riddell Video interview & transcript