Edith Joan Lyttleton
Encyclopedia
Edith Joan Lyttelton (1873—1945) was an Australasia
n author, who wrote as G.B. Lancaster. She was born in Tasmania
, and bought up (from 1879) on a sheep station
in Canterbury, New Zealand
. She produced 11 novel
s, a collection of stories, two serialised novels and over 250 stories.
She was New Zealand
's most widely read writer of the first half of the twentieth century . She wrote about the formation of colonial identity and the legacy of imperialism
in the lives of settlers and their descendants. Her settings were Australia
, Canada
and New Zealand
. She was influenced by Rudyard Kipling
and R. L. Stevenson.
Her first success was with The law-bringers (1913), which was made into a Hollywood feature film in the 1920s (as were The altar stairs and Jim of the ranges). Pageant (1933) topped the American best-seller list for six months. Other successes were Promenade (1938) and Grand Parade (1943). She left New Zealand in 1909 for London, where she died in 1945.
for an outstanding literary work in the previous calendar year, for Pageant in 1933.
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
n author, who wrote as G.B. Lancaster. She was born in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, and bought up (from 1879) on a sheep station
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
in Canterbury, New Zealand
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
. She produced 11 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, a collection of stories, two serialised novels and over 250 stories.
She was New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's most widely read writer of the first half of the twentieth century . She wrote about the formation of colonial identity and the legacy of imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
in the lives of settlers and their descendants. Her settings were Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. She was influenced by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
and R. L. Stevenson.
Her first success was with The law-bringers (1913), which was made into a Hollywood feature film in the 1920s (as were The altar stairs and Jim of the ranges). Pageant (1933) topped the American best-seller list for six months. Other successes were Promenade (1938) and Grand Parade (1943). She left New Zealand in 1909 for London, where she died in 1945.
Awards
She was awarded the Australian Literary Society Gold MedalALS Gold Medal
The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for “an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year.” From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the Australian Literature Society, then from 1983 by the Association for...
for an outstanding literary work in the previous calendar year, for Pageant in 1933.