Lily Brett
Encyclopedia
Lily Brett is an award-winning Australian novelist, essayist and poet
who now lives in New York City
. Much of her writing deals with her Jewish family semi-biographically
and with her feelings about the Holocaust
.
Brett's parents Max and Rose survived six years in the Łódź ghetto
s in Poland
, before being taken to Auschwitz concentration camp where they were eventually separated. It took them six months to find each other again after the war ended in 1945. Brett was born in a displaced persons' camp in Germany
in 1946. She was aged two (1948) before her parents were able to leave Germany and emigrate to Melbourne, Australia.
By the mid-1960s, Brett was a young journalist
working with Molly Meldrum at Go-Set
, Australia's most renowned music magazine of the time, and on Uptight one of the first weekly TV shows devoted to pop music. In the summer of 1967 she traveled to America
to cover the Monterey International Pop Festival, then onto the U.K., before returning to Australia.
In 1989 Brett moved to New York City
with her second husband, painter David Rankin
, and her three children.
In 2006, Lily Brett appeared on ABC
's Foreign Correspondent program.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who now lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Much of her writing deals with her Jewish family semi-biographically
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
and with her feelings about the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
.
Biography
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Brett's parents Max and Rose survived six years in the Łódź ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
s in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, before being taken to Auschwitz concentration camp where they were eventually separated. It took them six months to find each other again after the war ended in 1945. Brett was born in a displaced persons' camp in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1946. She was aged two (1948) before her parents were able to leave Germany and emigrate to Melbourne, Australia.
By the mid-1960s, Brett was a young journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
working with Molly Meldrum at Go-Set
Go-Set
Go-Set was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble...
, Australia's most renowned music magazine of the time, and on Uptight one of the first weekly TV shows devoted to pop music. In the summer of 1967 she traveled to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to cover the Monterey International Pop Festival, then onto the U.K., before returning to Australia.
In 1989 Brett moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her second husband, painter David Rankin
David Rankin
David Rankin is a New York-based Australian artist. He works predominantly in oil and acrylic on canvas, but also works with paper, prints, sculptures and ceramics. Rankin has held over 100 one-person exhibitions in cities across the world and his work forms part of many of the world's leading...
, and her three children.
In 2006, Lily Brett appeared on ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's Foreign Correspondent program.
Fiction
- Things Could Be WorseThings Could be WorseThings Could be Worse is an autobiographical novel by Lily Brett about a family of Polish Jews who migrated to Melbourne in the late 1940s.-Plot introduction:...
(1990) - What God Wants (1992)
- Just Like That (1994) Macmillan Australia ISBN 9780732907945
- Collected Stories (1999)
- Too Many Men (1999) Macmillan Australia ISBN 9780330361392
- You Gotta Have Balls (2005) Picador Australia ISBN 9780330421966
Non-fiction
- In Full View (1997) Macmillan Australia ISBN 9780732908959
- New York (2001) Picador Australia ISBN 9780330362450
- Between Mexico and Poland (2002) Picador Australia ISBN 9780330363860
Poetry
- The Auschwitz Poems (1986) Scribe ISBN 9780908011100
- Poland and other Poems (1987)
- After the War (1990)
- Unintended Consequences (1992)
- In Her Strapless Dresses(1994) Picador Australia ISBN 9780330355896
- Mud in My Tears (1997) Picador Australia ISBN 9780330360111
- Poems by Lily Brett (2001) Picador Australia ISBN 9780330362917
- Blistered Days (2007) Picador Australia ISBN 9780330422871
Awards and nominations
- 1986 - Mattara Poetry Prize - "Poland"
- 1987 - Victorian Premier's Literary Awards: C. J. Dennis Prize for PoetryC. J. Dennis Prize for PoetryThe C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, for a significant selection of new work by a poet published in a book. It is named after the early twentieth century vernacular poet C. J...
- The Auschwitz Poems - 1987 - Commonwealth Writers' Prize Award in 2000 for the Best Book from the South-East Asia and South Pacific Region- Too Many Men
- 1992 - National Steel Award for What God Wants
- 1995 - New South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsThe New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
,Christina Steadman Prize for Fiction for Just Like That - 2000 - Too Many Men shortlisted for the Miles Franklin AwardMiles Franklin AwardThe Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...