By Kate Shilling — 10th March 2023
If you’re anything like me, books and literature are woven into the fabric of your personal history and that of your ancestors. From Charles Dickinson to Enid Blyton, these classic stories help define and shape us during our formative years.
Before the advent of television, books held even more power. One of the great joys of researching your family history is discovering the literature your ancestors were reading at the time and learning about the authors who influenced popular culture at the time.
One of Australia’s best-known authors of all time is Ethel Turner. At the age of 23, Turner wrote Seven Little Australians, a stunning children’s novel that would soon become an Australian classic. She went on to write more than 40 novels and several collections of short stories and verse, with much of her work characterised by the sentimentality and melodrama that was popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A deep dive into the life of authors like Ethel Turner can offer valuable insight into your own family history and the culture of the world your ancestors grew up in.
In time for International Women’s Day, the State Library of New South Wales acquired the diaries, love letters and personal items of this Ethel Turner, showcasing her remarkable life as a writer, journalist, social campaigner, mother and wife. In a time where it was unusual for a woman to continue working after marriage, Turner managed to produce a novel each year for 34 years, as well as travelling the world and devoting herself to various social causes, including women’s rights.
Activism started early for Turner and she was passionate about campaigning for women’s right to education. In fact, when editing the Parthenon magazine at Sydney Girls High School, Turner wrote that, “the desire for knowledge is rapidly growing: deeper and deeper, woman goes into the mazy labyrinth, untrodden before by any but men’s footsteps, culling the flowers of knowledge, yes, and enjoying them, and appreciating them even as much as men do”.
If you’re in Sydney this month, make a beeline for the State Library and check out the special event on 22 March 2023, where curator, Sarah Morley, takes a look at the personal and professional lives of Ethel Turner. Using items from the Library’s Ethel Turner collection, together you’ll explore the many roles she fulfilled, all whilst racing towards her publishing deadlines. It’s the ultimate aspirational tale and a wonderful exploration of 1800s society. ‘
The collection includes uncensored love letters to Turner during her secret engagement to her future husband, Herbert Raine Curlewis, the author’s complete and unedited diaries over 62 years and detailed handwritten accounts showing her earnings. In fact, Turner’s income of £1543 dwarfed the salary of Curlewis, a Sydney judge, in 1923, and was eight times average annual earnings in the 1920s.
Find out more about this special event HERE.
Details:
Wednesday, 22nd March 2023
5.30pm – 6.30pm
Cost: FREE
State Library of New South Wales
Maps Room
Mitchell Building, First Floor
Sydney NSW 2000
