Dorothy Blewett (1898–1965) was an Australian writer and literary agent. She also wrote as Anne Praize[1] or Ann Praize.[2] Several of her plays were adapted for TV. She lived for a time in England.[3]

Life

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Dorothy Emilie Blewett was born at Northcote in Victoria on 23 July 1898.[1] Her father was John Blewett, who worked with the Victorian Railways for almost 50 years. She was a student at the Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne where she was editor of the school magazine in her final year.[4]

Blewett's earliest published works were written under the pseudonym, Anne Praize. They included short stories published by Table Talk and the novel, Vision, described as "besides being a vividly written romance, it breathes the open air freedom and spaciousness of a great country."[4]

Two of her plays were filmed by the ABC.[5]

Her writings have recently received critical re-appraisal.[6]

Blewett died in Melbourne on 17 September 1965.[7]

Selected works

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Plays

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Novels

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  • Vision (1931)
  • Pattern for a Scandal (1948)

Short stories

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  • "A Voice on the Telephone" (1931)[9]
  • "Alured the Assured" (1931)[10]
  • "April and October" (1931)[11]
  • "This Girl Came to Our School" (1949)[12]

Awards

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  • Westralian Drama Festival Award, 1941, for Quiet Night[1]
  • Playwrights' Advisory Board Competition, 1947, for The First Joanna[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Dorothy Blewett". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  2. ^ Adelaide, Debra (1988). Australian women writers: a bibliographic guide. Pandora. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-86358-148-9.
  3. ^ "Dorothy Blewett". Playlab Theatre.
  4. ^ a b "MELBOURNE GIRL'S FIRST NOVEL PRAISED". The Herald. No. 16, 792. Victoria, Australia. 12 March 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 14 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ Vagg, Stephen (27 August 2022). "3 Forgotten Australian Television Plays". Filmink.
  6. ^ Dorothy Blewett in the Australian Drama Archive at Austlit
  7. ^ "Dorothy Blewett [Record]". Trove – National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  8. ^ Vagg, Stephen (27 August 2022). "3 Forgotten Australian Television Plays". Filmink. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  9. ^ "A VOICE ON THE TELEPHONE". Table Talk. No. 3284. Victoria, Australia. 16 April 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 14 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Little dreaming of the trick Fate was to play her, Sybil accepted Dave's wager of £10 to a penny that she could not shake the self-assurance of Alured the Assured". Table Talk. No. 3291. Victoria, Australia. 4 June 1931. p. 13. Retrieved 14 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "April and October". Table Talk. No. 3305. Victoria, Australia. 10 September 1931. p. 23. Retrieved 14 September 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ Blewett, Dorothy (2016) [1949]. "This Girl Came to Our School". Hecate. 42 (2): 62–65.
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