Miles Franklin

Biography

Miles Franklin (1879–1954), pen name of Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin, was an Australian novelist and feminist whose debut novel became one of Australia’s most beloved literary works. Born in Talbingo, New South Wales, Franklin grew up on a bush station in the Brindabella Valley, an experience that provided the setting for her famous first novel, My Brilliant Career (1901), published when she was just twenty-one. The novel’s spirited young heroine, Sybylla Melvyn, who longs for intellectual and creative fulfillment in the Australian bush, captivated readers and was championed by Henry Lawson. Franklin moved to the United States in 1906, where she worked for the National Women’s Trade Union League in Chicago, and later to London, before returning to Australia in 1932. She published numerous novels, including All That Swagger (1936) and the pseudonymous "Brent of Bin Bin" series of pastoral novels. Her legacy includes the Miles Franklin Award, Australia’s most prestigious literary prize, established by her will. The 1979 film adaptation of My Brilliant Career, starring Judy Davis, brought her work to new international audiences.