Lilith Norman Explained
| Lilith Norman |
| Birth Name: | Lilith George Norman |
| Birth Date: | 27 November 1927 |
| Birth Place: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Death Place: | Naremburn, New South Wales, Australia |
Lilith George Norman (1927–2017) was an Australian children's writer, also known for her editorship of the New South Wales School Magazine.
Early life and education
Norman was born in Sydney, New South Wales on 27 November 1927.[1] Part of her childhood was spent in Goulburn, where she attended Bourke Street Primary School,[2] came second in Class 6A[3] and secured admission to Goulburn High School.[4] Instead she moved to Waverley and was educated at Sydney Girls High School from 1940 to 1944.[5] She won a short story prize in 1943.
Career
Norman found work as an assistant at Newtown Library from 1947 to 1948 and worked as a telephonist at a London hotel 1950–1951. Returning to Sydney she became a sales assistant at Angus & Robertson in 1952–1953. She then nursed at Balmain Hospital for three years before returning to librarianship, being promoted to children's librarian at the Sydney Public Library in 1966.[6]
In 1970 Norman joined the New South Wales School Magazine as assistant editor. She was promoted to editor in 1975 on the resignation of Patricia Wrightson. After three years as editor she resigned in December 1978 to write full time.[7]
Her works for children were noted for their realistic depictions of families facing difficult circumstances. A Dream of Seas, for example, deals with a young boy coping with his father's death and has "elements of magic realism".
Selected works
Children's fiction
- Book: Norman, Lilith . Climb a lonely hill . 1970 . Collins . 978-0-00-184351-6.
- Book: Norman, Lilith . The shape of three . 1971 . 2 . Collins . 978-0-00-184762-0.
- Book: Norman, Lilith . The flame takers . 1973 . 2 . Collins . 978-0-00-661224-7.
- Book: Norman, Lilith . Mocking-bird man . 1977 . 2 . Lacis, Astra (illustrator) . Hodder and Stoughton . 978-0-340-22208-9 .
- Book: Norman, Lilith . A dream of seas . 1978 . 2 . Bell, Edwina (illustrator) . Collins . 978-0-00-184372-1.
- Book: Norman, Lilith . My simple little brother . 1979 . 2 . Rae, David (illustrator) . Collins . 978-0-00-184391-2.
- Book: Norman, Lilith . Grandpa . 1998 . 2 . Young, Noela (illustrator) . Margaret Hamiltion Books . 978-0-947241-52-0.
Nonfiction
- Book: Norman, Lilith . The brown and yellow : Sydney Girls' High School 1883–1983 . 1983 . Oxford University Press . Young, Noela (cover designer/illustrator) . 978-0-19-554431-2.
Awards and recognition
- Sydney Morning Herald Literary Competition – Poetry, joint third prize, 1947
- , commended for Climb a Lonely Hill, 1971[8]
- IBBY Australia Honour for Writing, winner for A Dream of Seas, 1980
- Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature – Picture Book and Younger Readers, winner for Granpa, 1999
- , honour book for Granpa, 1999
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Lilith Norman . 2022-05-20 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . en.
- News: 2 April 1937 . Exam Results . 8 (Daily) . . New South Wales, Australia . National Library of Australia . 20 May 2022.
- News: 4 September 1939 . August Test . 2 (Daily) . . New South Wales, Australia . National Library of Australia . 20 May 2022.
- News: 5 December 1939 . Successful Pupils . 7 (Daily) . . New South Wales, Australia . National Library of Australia . 20 May 2022.
- Book: Norman, Lilith . The brown and yellow : Sydney Girls' High School 1883–1983 . 1983 . Oxford University Press . 0-19-554431-5 . Melbourne . 233–234 . 29017391.
- Web site: Saxby . Maurice . 2018-02-15 . Hamilton . Margaret . Vale Lilith Norman 1927–2017 . 2022-05-20 . Reading Time . en-US.
- News: 12 April 1979 . Resignations . 1841 . Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 53 . New South Wales, Australia . National Library of Australia . 21 May 2022.
- News: 10 July 1971 . 1971 awards . 45 . 15 . . 12,859 . Australian Capital Territory, Australia . 20 May 2022 . National Library of Australia.
