Miles Franklin: her brilliant yet troubled life revealed!

26/2/04

The sensational secrets and little-known stories of 20th century Australia's literary great, Miles Franklin (1879-1954), will soon be revealed with the launch of the State Library of NSW's national exhibition Miles Franklin: A brilliant career? on 1 March 2004.

The talented writer, feminist, 'socialite' and author of the astonishing first novel My Brilliant Career (1901) was a vibrant and witty individual.

But Miles' private diaries told a very different story of a woman plagued with depression and a deep sense of failure.

Her diaries will be publicly displayed for the first time, along with personal letters, literary papers, photo albums and personal belongings that she generously bequeathed to the Mitchell Library, part of the State Library of NSW.

According to State Librarian & Chief Executive Dagmar Schmidmaier: "Miles increasingly feared that nothing she wrote matched the success of My Brilliant Career and resorted to writing under different names, including the bizarre pseudonym Brent of Bin Bin, to protect herself from poor reviews."

It took Miles 35 years to produce another literary hit, All that Swagger (1936), once again giving her the fame that she sought.

The exhibition highlights Miles' little-known career overseas, including her pioneering work with the Women's Trade Union League in Chicago from 1908 to 1915 and as a cook in Macedonia during World War 1.

"Miles was a terrible flirt who left a number of suitors broken hearted, including Banjo Paterson," said Paul Brunton, exhibition curator and author of the upcoming book, The Diaries of Miles Franklin (Allen & Unwin).

Miles Franklin published 15 books in her lifetime, four posthumously, and her legacy to Australian literature is evident in the establishment of the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award - a secret gift to the nation revealed after her death.

Miles Franklin: A brilliant career? is a free exhibition at the State Library of NSW from 1 March to 18 June 2004, before it tours.