Elizabeth Riddell (21 March 1910 – 3 July 1998) was a New Zealand-born Australian poet and journalist.

Life

Born in

Napier, New Zealand Napier ( ; ) is a city on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Hawke's Bay region. It is a beachside city with a seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lined with Norfolk pines, and extensive Art D ...

, Elizabeth Richmond Riddell came to Australia in 1928 where she worked at ''

Smith's Weekly ''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia. History The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir ...

'' and won a

Walkley Award The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

. She married Edward Neville 'Blue' Greatorex (1901–1964) in Sydney in 1935. The couple did not have children. In 1935 she moved to England and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

worked for

Ezra Norton Ezra Norton (8 April 1897 – 4 January 1967) was an Australian newspaper baron and businessman. Early life Norton was born in the Sydney suburb of Watsons Bay, son of the proprietor of ''Truth'', John Norton (1858–1916) and Ada McGrath (187 ...

at ''

The Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead ...

'', chiefly in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Her first short book of poems, ''The Untrammelled'', was published in 1940. After the war she returned to Australia to continue working as a journalist, and in the 1960s became

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

and feature writer for ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

''. She was the first Walkley Award winner for The Australian, winning in 1968 and 1969 for 'Best Newspaper Feature Story'. In 1986 she was awarded Critic of the Year by the ''

Australian Book Review ''Australian Book Review'' is an Australian arts and literary review. Created in 1961, ''ABR'' is an independent non-profit organisation that publishes articles, reviews, commentaries, essays, and new writing. The aims of the magazine are " ...

''. Riddell's poetry won the

Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form.Patrick White Award The Patrick White Award is an annual literary prize established by Patrick White. White used his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature award to establish a trust for this prize. The $25,000 cash award is given to a writer who has been highly creative o ...

in 1995. Widowed in 1964, Riddell died in 1998.

Bibliography

* ''The Untrammelled''. Sydney: Viking, 1940. * ''Poems''. Sydney: Ure Smith, 1948. * ''Song for a Crowning''. W. H. Paling, 1953. Songs with music by G. S. English. * ''Forbears''. Sydney:

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

, 1961. * ''Country Tune''. J. Albert, 1973. Songs with music by G. S. English. * ''From the midnight courtyard''. Angus & Robertson, 1989. * ''Selected Poems''. Angus & Robertson, 1992. * ''The Difficult Island''. Molonglo, 1994.

Selected poems

* " Lifesaver" (1931) * " The Children March" (1944)

References

External links

His Day
poem
The Letter
poem
Elizabeth Riddell
Video interview & transcript {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddell, Elizabeth 1910 births 1998 deaths Australian art critics New Zealand emigrants to Australia People from Napier, New Zealand Patrick White Award winners ALS Gold Medal winners Australian women art critics Australian women journalists Australian women poets 20th-century Australian women writers 20th-century Australian poets 20th-century Australian journalists