Advances - May 2009
From Beatrice to Julia
Jacqueline Kent chooses the most interesting biographical subjects. Her first was Beatrice Davis, doyenne of Australian book editors. A Certain Style: Beatrice Davis, A Literary Life won the National Biography Award in 2002. Next came An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin (2008). Now we read with interest that she is writing the biography of Julia Gillard, the deputy prime minister.
Why Ms Gillard? ‘Mostly because I have been watching her for ages and find her very interesting,’ Jacqueline Kent told Advances. ‘Her handling of everything is apparently so effortless: what’s going on behind all that equanimity and friendliness? Also, Gillard indicates how far we have and haven’t come in dealing with women in public life. She’s a kind of politician we haven’t had before. She is also the most self-aware and secure and centred woman I have met in a very long time.’
Continue reading for only $10 per month. Subscribe and gain full access to Australian Book Review. Already a subscriber? Sign in. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us.
Leave a comment
If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.
If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.
Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.