Amanda Lohrey’s journey has taken her from her birthplace of Tasmania, where she studied at the University of Tasmania, to lecturing at the University of Cambridge then returning to Australia to lecture at the University of Queensland.

Writing in an era of political and gender upheaval has required Lohrey to navigate many obstacles. As a woman and a feminist, Lohrey did not fit easily into the critical or popular expectations of ‘the woman writer’ of the 1980s. From her first novel which was published in 1984 through to her most recent in 2015, Lohrey’s novels have examined the politics of the waterfront and the party room, the kitchen and the bedroom, and the office and the tree change. Her body of work offers an opportunity to think about the connection between gender, politics and literary culture within Australia.

Some of her novels include Camille’s Bread (1995), The Philosopher’s Doll (2004), Vertigo (2008), Reading Madame Bovary (2010) and A Short History of Richard Kline (2015). Amanda has won a number of awards and in 2012 was recognised for her 30 years of literary achievement with the Patrick White Award.