How about a walk with words? Right here on the Sydney Writers Walk we find a tribute to Thea Astley. This walk honors celebrated Australian writers. The Thea Astley Plaque is a lasting reminder of her contribution to literature.
The Sydney Writers Walk features sixty circular metal plaques. They are set into the footpath between the Overseas Passenger Terminal and the Sydney Opera House. The plaques celebrate the lives and works of famous writers. Both Australian and international authors are honored.
The Thea Astley Plaque recognizes her significant place in Australian literature. She was born Beatrice May Astley in Brisbane in 1925. Thea Astley died in 2004. The plaque notes her birth year but not her death. This is because the plaques are not updated.
The NSW Ministry for the Arts created the walk in 1991. Eleven more plaques were added in 2011. The Thea Astley Plaque, like others here, provides a quote from her work. It also includes biographical information.
The Rotary Club of Sydney Cove published a guide to the Walk in 2014.
Astley won more Miles Franklin Awards than any other writer. She won four in total. The Patrick White Award recognized her service to Australian literature in 1989. The University of Queensland awarded her an honorary doctorate.
Thea Astley also taught at all levels of education. She taught primary and secondary students. She also taught at the tertiary level.
She married Jack Gregson in 1948. They moved to Sydney. She taught at various high schools. She tutored at Macquarie University from 1968 to 1980. Then, she retired to write full-time.
Astley and her husband loved music. They especially enjoyed jazz and chamber music.
Thea Astley’s writing often reflects her early childhood. Many of her stories are set in Queensland. She described Queensland as a place where tall tales happen. She said that the people there lived them out.
She nearly became a journalist. The Brisbane Telegraph turned her down. They said she was too old. She had finished her university degree. Astley sold her first poem as “Phillip Cressy”. Men were paid more than women at that time.
Her first novel was “Girl with a Monkey”. It was published in 1958. Sidney J. Baker said she earned a place among the leaders of modern Australian fiction with her third book “The Well-dressed Explorer”.
Thea Astley wrote in an Australian House & Garden magazine column. She said writing could be done anywhere. She wrote a short story on a plane. She took notes at lunch and in pubs. She wrote in a convent and on a wharf.
Two weeks before she died, Astley appeared at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival. She gave a comic reading of one of her short stories.
Thea Astley was friends with Patrick White, Hal Porter and Thomas Keneally. She had few female literary contemporaries until the 1980s.
She was known for her meticulous use of language. She was also known for portraying the Queensland landscape. People also remember her quick wit and raspy voice.
Some found her style alienating. Helen Garner said she hated her style. Despite criticism, many admired her writing. Kerryn Goldsworthy loved her densely woven grammar. She also loved her ingrained humor.
The Thea Astley Plaque serves as a reminder. It reminds us of her powerful contributions. It also reminds us of her unique perspective on Australian life.