Thea Beatrice Astley biography at QuotationFun

A Short Biography of Thea Beatrice Astley

Author Name:

Thea Beatrice Astley

Born As:

Thea Beatrice Astley

Other Names:

Thea Beatrice Astley

Born:

25 Aug 1925

Died:

17 Aug 2004




author picture
Author and university lecturer                          
Selected works:

Novels:

Girl with a Monkey - 1958
A Descant for Gossips - 1960
The Well Dressed Explorer - 1962
The Slow Natives - 1965
A Boat Load of Home Folk - 1968
The Acolyte - 1972
A Kindness Cup - 1974
An Item from the Late News - 1982
Beachmasters - 1985
It's Raining in Mango - 1987
Reaching Tin River - 1990 REVIEW
Vanishing Points - 1992
Coda - 1994
The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow - 1996
Drylands - 1999

Short stories:

Hunting the Wild Pineapple - 1979
Collected Stories - 1997

Adaptations:

Descant for gossips - ABC, telemovie - 1983
Drylands optioned by Tony Buckley - 2004 - but not made as of 2008
                          
Husband Jack Gregson, one child, Ed Gregson, a musician and television producer.                          
At the time of her death, she had won more Miles Franklin Awards, Australia's major literary award, than any other writer.

Awards and nominations:

Miles Franklin Award for The Well Dressed Explorer - 1962
Miles Franklin Award for The Slow Natives - 1965
Moomba Award for The Slow Natives - 1965
Miles Franklin Award for The Acolyte - 1972
The Age Book of the Year Fiction Award for The Kindness Cup - 1975
Australian Literature Studies Award for Hunting the Wild Pineapple - 1980
Member of the Order of Australia - OAM - 1980
ALS Gold Medal for Beachmasters - 1986
Patrick White Award - 1989
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for fiction for Reaching Tin River - 1990
 Officer of the Order of Australia OAM - 1992:
The Age Book of the Year Fiction Award for The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow - 1996
Miles Franklin Award for Drylands - 1999
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Fiction Book Award for Drylands - 2000
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Special Award for being "A Trailblazer” - 2002                          
Pseudonyms - Phillip Cressy, Thea Gregson.