Born: Established: 24 Sep 1911 Mornington, Mornington Peninsula (Port Phillip Bay), Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne, Victoria, ; Died: Ceased: 16 Jan 1980 Darlinghurst, Kings Cross area, Inner Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,
AustLit
Born: Established: 24 Sep 1911 Mornington, Mornington Peninsula (Port Phillip Bay), Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne, Victoria, ; Died: Ceased: 16 Jan 1980 Darlinghurst, Kings Cross area, Inner Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,
BiographyHistory
Most Referenced Works
Notes
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Additional works: In addition to the works individually indexed on AustLit, Marien Dreyer also wrote the following works (which have not yet been sighted):
- Nobody's Daughter (serial): appeared in New Idea between 25 January 1954 and sometime in April 1954 (advertised but not sighted).
- 'The Eleventh Commandment' (novelette), Pocket Book, c.1954 (advertised but not sighted).
- 'The Big Wind' (commended in the Journalists' Club Prize in 1958, but publication untraced).
- 'No Place at All', Woman's Day, 18 November 1949 (advertised but not sighted).
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'Annabella': Marien Dreyer had a wooden leg (which she later called 'Annabella') from an early age. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate that she was injured on 10 November 1921 by a knife thrown by Clarence Gouey (described in newspapers as 'a Chinese cook'). Gouey was the cook at the Exford Hotel on the corner of Russell Street and Little Bourke Street, in Melbourne, where Dreyer's mother was working as the housekeeper. After the incident, Dreyer was taken to the Children's Hospital, where her leg was amputated. Gouey was found guilty but recommended to mercy and released on bond, with the proviso that he pay a weekly sum for Dreyer's benefit. He was due to be recalled for sentencing, but his sentence is not recorded in the newspapers.
References:
'Knife Thrown by Chinese', The Argus, 22 April 1922, p.20.
'Little Girl Wounded', The Argus, 12 November 1921, p.24.
'Little Girl Wounded', The Argus, 2 March 1922, p.8.
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In 2011, Marien Dreyer's son gave an interview to a Kings Cross-based blog, Red Globe Light Liquor Green: 'Marien Oulton Dreyer, Writer', published on 27 April 2011 (sighted 29/05/2015). He talks about his inability to obtain a copy of his parent's marriage certificate, the family's friendships in Kings Cross, and Dreyer's writing process.
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See the full Australian Dictionary of Biography Online entry for Marien Oulton Dreyer.
Personal Awards
- 1959 joint winner Walkley Award — Magazine Feature Writing For 'The Day I Wiggled My Big Toe', an article in New Idea; shared with H.H. Cox for an article in People.