Kylie Tennant (1912–1988) was an Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian.

Life & career

Tennant was born on March 12 1912 in Manly, New South Wales; she was educated at Brighton College and Sydney University, though she left without graduating. She was a publicity officer for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, as well as working as a journalist, union organiser, reviewer (for The Sydney Morning Herald), a publisher's literary adviser and editor, and a Commonwealth Literary Fund lecturer. She married L. C. Rodd in 1933; they had two children (a daughter, Benison, in 1946 and a son, John Laurence, in 1951).

Her work was known for its well-researched, realistic, yet positive portrayals of the lives of the underprivileged in Australia.

Bibliography

Novels

• Tiburon (1935. Sydney: Endeavour Press) — first published in serial form in The Bulletin
• Foveaux (1939. London: Gollancz; 1946. Sydney: Sirius)
• The Battlers (1941. London: Gollancz; New York: Macmillan; 1945. Sydney: Sirius) — Australian Literature Society 's Gold Medal, & S.H. Prior Prize
• Ride on Stranger (1941. New York: Macmillan; London: Gollancz; Sydney: Angus & Robertson)
• Time Enough Later (1943. New York: Macmillan; 1945. London: Macmillan)
• Lost Haven (1946. NY: Macmillan; Melbourne: Macmillan; London: Macmillan)
• The Joyful Condemned (1953. London: Macmillan; New York: St Martin's Press)
• The Honey Flow (1956. London: Macmillan; new York: St Martin's Press)
• Tell Morning This (1967. Sydney: Angus & Robertson) — complete version of The Joyful Condemned
• The Man on the Headland (1971. Sydney: Angus & Robertson)
• Tantavallon (1983. Melbourne: Macmillan) ISBN 0947072020

Short stories

• Ma Jones and Little White Cannibals (1967. London)

For children

• Long John Silver (1954. Sydney: Associated General Publications) — adapted from the screenplay by Martin Rackin
• All the Proud Tribesmen (1959. London: Macmillan; New York: St Martin's Press; 1960. Melbourne: Macmillan) — illustrated by Clem Seale. Children's Book Award (1960)
• Come and See: social studies for Third Grade (1960. Melbourne: Macmillan)
• We Find the Way: social studies for Fourth Grade (1960. Melbourne: Macmillan)
• Trail Blazers of the Air (1965. Melbourne: Macmillan; New York: St Martin's Press) — illustrated by Roderick Shaw

Plays

• Modern Plays for Schools 3 (John o' the Forest, Lady Dorothy and the Pirates, The Willow Pattern Plate, The Laughing Girl, Christmas at the Old Shamrock Hotel) (1950. London: Macmillan; New York: St Martin's Press)
• Tether a Dragon (1952. Sydney: Associated General Publications) — Commonwealth Jubilee Stage Play Prize
• Modern Plays for Schools 15 (The Bells of the City, The Magic Fat Baby, The Prince Who Met a Dragon, The Ghost Tiger, Hamaguchi Goh Ei) (1955. London: Macmillan; New York: St Martin's Press)
• The Bushrangers' Christmas Eve and other plays (The Tribe of the Honey Tree, The Ladies of the Guard, A Nativity Play, The Play of the Younger Son, The Emperor and the Nightingale) (1959. London: Macmillan; New York:St Martin's Press)

Biography & history

• Australia: Her Story (1953. London: Macmillan; New York: St Martin's Press)
• Speak You So Gently: lives among the Australian Aborigines (1959. London: Gollancz)
• Evatt: politics and justice (1970. Sydney: Angus & Robertson)
• The Missing Heir (1986. Melbourne: Macmillan) — her autobiography

Criticism

• The Development of the Australian Novel (1958. Canberra: CLF)
• (with L.C. Rodd) The Australian Essay (1968. Melbourne: Cheshire)

Sources & external links

• A Tennant Bibliography — compiled by Ross Burnet (included individual short-story magazine appearances)