Colleen McCullough

For those of you not already aware, renown Australian author, Colleen McCullough, underwent brain surgery on 11th December 2009. It was greatly feared that the surgery would render the author incapable of continuing her writing career. At this stage, Colleen is recovering slowly in Sydney - and time will tell if this surgery will impact her writing.

Colleen is the author of "The Thorn Birds", the "Masters of Rome" series, and numerous other books. Her latest book, "Too Many Murders" has just been released, and her 22nd book is near completion.

Our wishes extend to both Colleen, her husband Ric and their family.

Get well soon Colleen!

Colleen McCullough on wikipedia

Colleen @ Harper Collins

Tales of Chelsea Women

From the Mordialloc Chelsea Leader:

THE achievements of women from the Chelsea area are celebrated in a new book.

Dorothy Meadows and her daughter Linda have compiled the 195-page history, Women of Chelsea and District, which shares the experiences of 29 women from the late 1880s to now.

An 18-month project for Chelsea and District Historical Society, the book includes stories from MP Jenny Lindell, a CSIRO scientist, housewives and businesswomen.

Women of Chelsea and District will sell for $15 at Chelsea Library and the Court House Museum from November 19.

Patricia Crawford

From The Age:

Patricia Crawford, a pioneering historian and author whose seminal work in revealing fresh insights into 17th-century England won her the Royal Historical Society's prestigious Whitfield prize in 1979, has died in Western Australia after an eight-year battle with breast cancer. She was 68.

Crawford, emeritus professor of history at the University of Western Australia's school of humanities, illuminated life in that extraordinary period — in particular women in 16th and 17th century England— and opened up a whole new field of investigation and revelation from archival documents.

There was almost nothing in print about women of that period when she started writing on the subject in 1980; now, almost every aspect of ordinary women's lives has been written about, and in many cases, the groundwork was done by Crawford.

Padel, Poetry & Clive James

From the Guardian:

The broadcaster and writer Clive James today said he would like to be Oxford professor of poetry amid the furore surrounding Ruth Padel's appointment to the post.

In an interview with the Guardian, James said the position, which dates back to 1708, and whose past occupants include WH Auden and Seamus Heaney, was his "dream job".

Padel, elected to the post nine days ago, is resisting calls to quit after it emerged that she tipped off newspapers about claims of sexual impropriety against her main rival, Derek Walcott, the Nobel laureate. Walcott, highly respected for his work on post-colonial Caribbean life, withdrew from the campaign days before the election after allegations resurfaced that he had propositioned students in the 1980s and 1990s.

In recent days, James has urged Padel to step down from what is regarded as the most important academic position in poetry. Asked if he would want the job, he said: "You know – and this is strictly between you and me and millions of readers – it's the only job I want."

Padel is the great-great-granddaughter of the naturalist Charles Darwin.