Frank Moorhouse

Frank Moorhouse was born in the coastal town of Nowra, NSW. He worked as an editor of small-town newspapers and as an administrator and in the 1970s became a full-time writer. He has written fiction, non fiction, screenplays and essays and edited many collections of writing. Forty Seventeen was given a laudatory full-page review by Angela Carter in the New York Times and was named Book of the Year by the Age and 'moral winner' of the Booker Prize by the London magazine Blitz. Grand Days, the first novel in The Edith Trilogy, won the SA Premier's Award for Fiction. Dark Palace won the Miles Franklin Literary Award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Award, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award and the Age Book of the Year Award. Frank undertook numerous fellowships and his work has been translated into several languages. He was made a member of the Order of Australia for services to literature in 1985 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Griffith University in 1997. Frank died in Sydney, June 2022 aged 83.

What kinds of writing did Frank Moorhouse produce?

He wrote literary fiction, short stories and collections, non fiction, essays and screenplays.

What is the Edith Trilogy and what order should it be read in?

The Edith Trilogy follows the life of Edith. The recommended reading order is Grand Days (Book One), Dark Palace (Book Two) and Cold Light (Book Three).

Which book is a good place to start if I'm new to his work?

A natural starting point is Grand Days, the first book of the Edith Trilogy. For his shorter work, the collection Forty-Seventeen is also frequently recommended.

What major awards and honors did he receive for his writing?

Notable recognitions include Dark Palace winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award; Grand Days winning the South Australian Premier's Award for Fiction; Forty-Seventeen receiving strong critical praise and being named Book of the Year by The Age. He was also made a member of the Order of Australia and received an honorary doctorate for services to literature.