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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Elizabeth von Arnim is one of the early 20th century’s most famous – and forgotten –authors. Born in Sydney in the mid 1800s, she went on to write many internationally bestselling novels, marry a Prussian Count and then an English Lord, nurture close friendships with H.G. Wells and E.M. Forster and raise five children.
'Her novels were ahead of their time in their representation of women and their pursuit of happiness. Intrigued by von Arnim’s extraordinary life and vibrant career, Gabrielle Carey sets off on a literary and philosophical journey to know more about this talented author.
'From the Prime Minister’s Literary Award winner of Moving Among Strangers, Only Happiness Here is part biography, part memoir and part reflection on human nature’s obsession with finding joy.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Notes
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Dedication: Dedicated to Ursula D because 'kindred spirits are so very, very rare'.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Writing from Life and the Limits of Privacy in Gabrielle Carey’s Only Happiness Here
2021
single work
essay
— Appears in: Westerly , November vol. 66 no. 2 2021; (p. 57-71) 'In life writing studies. research relating to privacy tends to concentrate on the ethics of representing other people's lives. What is discussed less frequently are the ethics and the effects on life writers of representing their own Ines. There seems to be an assumption that because someone has chosen to write about their experiences, their private details are fair game: as Claire Lynch puts it, writing about one's own life is, of course, potentially exposing, but at least the revelations are self-inflicted' (13). Maureen Perkins observes that 'the autobiographical imperative implies that everything must be told. that secrets are the equivalent of a betrayal of the autobiographical pact, and that an author should hold nothing back' (271). This rhetoric—that if you're not revealing yourself fully, you may be doing your readers and writing a disservice—is often accompanied by the ostensibly admirable sentiment that life writers should strive for honesty regarding their mistakes and failings. However, it also tends towards oversimplifying what it might mean to write the truth' about one's life. Writir4 based on real experience will only ever be a partial representation of it and, as Blake Morrison suggests, confessional writers 'make conscious and considered choices about what to reveal' (206). For many life writers. these choices will be based, at least in part, on balancing self- revelation and autobiographical restraint.' (Introduction)
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Writing Happiness : A Lively Look at Elizabeth von Arnim
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January–February no. 428 2021; (p. 50)
— Review of Only Happiness Here : In Search of Elizabeth von Arnim 2020 single work biography -
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 28 November 2020; (p. 14)
— Review of Only Happiness Here : In Search of Elizabeth von Arnim 2020 single work biography'Gabrielle Carey’s new book about forgotten Australian novelist Elizabeth von Arnim is a much-needed antidote to the seriousness of modernist fiction, writes Beejay Silcox'
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Don’t Worry, Be Happy
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 28 November 2020; (p. 14)
— Review of Only Happiness Here : In Search of Elizabeth von Arnim 2020 single work biography'Gabrielle Carey’s new book about forgotten Australian novelist Elizabeth von Arnim is a much-needed antidote to the seriousness of modernist fiction, writes Beejay Silcox'
-
Writing Happiness : A Lively Look at Elizabeth von Arnim
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , January–February no. 428 2021; (p. 50)
— Review of Only Happiness Here : In Search of Elizabeth von Arnim 2020 single work biography -
Writing from Life and the Limits of Privacy in Gabrielle Carey’s Only Happiness Here
2021
single work
essay
— Appears in: Westerly , November vol. 66 no. 2 2021; (p. 57-71) 'In life writing studies. research relating to privacy tends to concentrate on the ethics of representing other people's lives. What is discussed less frequently are the ethics and the effects on life writers of representing their own Ines. There seems to be an assumption that because someone has chosen to write about their experiences, their private details are fair game: as Claire Lynch puts it, writing about one's own life is, of course, potentially exposing, but at least the revelations are self-inflicted' (13). Maureen Perkins observes that 'the autobiographical imperative implies that everything must be told. that secrets are the equivalent of a betrayal of the autobiographical pact, and that an author should hold nothing back' (271). This rhetoric—that if you're not revealing yourself fully, you may be doing your readers and writing a disservice—is often accompanied by the ostensibly admirable sentiment that life writers should strive for honesty regarding their mistakes and failings. However, it also tends towards oversimplifying what it might mean to write the truth' about one's life. Writir4 based on real experience will only ever be a partial representation of it and, as Blake Morrison suggests, confessional writers 'make conscious and considered choices about what to reveal' (206). For many life writers. these choices will be based, at least in part, on balancing self- revelation and autobiographical restraint.' (Introduction)
Awards
Last amended 27 Sep 2021 10:41:59
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