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Forrest, Mabel (1872 - 1935)

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Born
6 March 1872
Yandilla, Queensland, Australia
Died
16 March 1935
Goodna, Queensland, Australia

Summary

Forrest was born at Yandilla, Queensland, and grew up on remote pastoral stations, taught at home by her European-educated mother. She married a selector in 1893 and they had a daughter, before separating in 1896. Forrest began writing partly for financial reasons, with short stories and poems appearing in publications like the Queenslander, the Bulletin and the Australian Town and Country Journalfrom the mid-1890s. She continued writing up until she died and was extraordinarily prolific, publishing six novels, around seventy short stories and almost eight hundred poems. She became seriously ill towards the end of her life, and a public fund inviting donations for her support was established in Queensland, where she was declared 'unofficial laureate' by the local press.

Published resources

Books

  • Forrest, M., Gaming gods : a novel, Hutchinson, London, 1926, 280 pp. Details
  • Forrest, M., The wild moth, Cassell, London, 1927, 313 pp. Details
  • Forrest, M., Hibiscus heart, Hutchinson, London, 1927, 286 pp. Details
  • Forrest, M., White witches, Hutchinson, London, 1929, 287 pp. Details

Poems

  • Forrest, M., 'The Telegram', in Charleton, W. R. (ed.), The Red kangaroo and other Australian short stories, John Fairfax and Sons, Sydney, 1907, p. 57. Details

Short Stories

  • Forrest, M., 'The Second Flash', in Charleton, W. R. (ed.), The Red kangaroo and other Australian short stories, John Fairfax and Sons, Sydney, 1907, pp. 88-89. Details
  • Forrest, M., 'The Housekeeper', in Charleton, W. R. (ed.), The Red kangaroo and other Australian short stories, John Fairfax and Sons, Sydney, 1907, pp. 211-223. Details

See also

Archival resources

John Oxley Library, Manuscripts and Business Records Collection, State Library of Queensland

  • Mabel Forrest Autobiography, OM80-102; John Oxley Library, Manuscripts and Business Records Collection, State Library of Queensland. Details

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

  • Collection of manuscripts and correspondence of Australian authors 1864-1925 [manuscript], 1864 - 1925, NLA MS 3605; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Rachael Weaver