Myfanwy Horne (23 July 1933 – 30 July 2013) was an Australian journalist, writer, reviewer and book editor.

Myfanwy Horne
BornMyfanwy Gollan
(1933-07-23)23 July 1933
Newcastle, New South Wales
Died30 July 2013(2013-07-30) (aged 80)
Sydney, Australia
OccupationJournalist, writer, reviewer, and book editor
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
Genrenon-fiction, book reviews, social commentary, biography
Notable worksDying: a memoir (2007)
SpouseDonald Horne
Children2
RelativesRoss Gollan (father)

Early life

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Myfanwy Gollan was born in Newcastle on 23 July 1933 to Valmai (née Clack) and Ross Gollan, her father being a political journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.[1][2] Myfanwy attended Canberra Girls' Grammar School[3] and completed her schooling at Sydney Girls' High School.[4] She graduated from the University of Sydney in 1951.[4]

Career

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In 1953 Myfanwy Gollan joined The Sydney Morning Herald as a cadet journalist.[1][4] She contributed to newspapers, magazines and books as a reviewer, columnist and social commentator.[1] Myfanwy met fellow writer Donald Horne at a party[5] thrown by Michael Baume in Kings Cross, Horne proposed a week later over dinner at the Chelsea, a restaurant in Kings Cross.[6][7] In 1960, after marrying Donald Horne,[8] she resigned from The Sydney Morning Herald as married women were restricted from occupying full-time positions at the newspaper.[4]

She continued to work as a freelance journalist using her maiden name, including writing a column, For the Consumer in The Observer[9] magazine[4] as well as contributing essays, book reviews and restaurant reviews to various magazines and newspapers.[4][10]

A politically active citizen, Myfanwy organised Struggle for Democracy in Australia 1788-1977 a historical exhibition at the Sydney Town Hall in 1977.[11] The exhibition focused on the human rights struggles of Aboriginal people and women and the freedom of the press and religion in Australia supporting the republican movement. Together with her husband Donald Horne she was active in the constitutional reform movements in Australia.[12][13]

Myfanwy took on the role of editor for Donald Horne, working on all of his books, including The Lucky Country.[4] She co-authored and edited his final book Dying: A Memoir, completing it after his death.[5]

Works

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  • Horne, Donald; Horne, Myfanwy, 1933-2013 (2007), Dying : a memoir, Viking, ISBN 978-0-670-07102-9{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  • Gollan, Myfanwy (1992), "Reviewed any good books lately?. -In special issue: Books, Readers, Reading based on a conference at the University of New South Wales, June 1991-", Australian Cultural History (11): 111–119, ISSN 0728-8433
  • Gollan, Myfanwy (1976), Kerr and the consequences : the Sydney Town Hall meeting, 20 September, 1976 / edited by Myfanwy Gollan, Widescope International Publishers[14]

Personal life

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Myfanwy and Donald Horne had two children, Julia and Nick.[2] Myfanwy died on 30 July 2013.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "In Memory of Myfanwy Horne (1933 - 2013) | Australian Society of Authors". Australian Society of Authors. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Tributes - Myfanwy Horne". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  3. ^ Gollan, Myfanwy (1969), "Two schools", Quadrant, 13 (6): 55–59, ISSN 0033-5002
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Horne, Julia; Horne, Nick. "Myfanwy Horne: Writer, editor helped foster national identity". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Donald Horne: As I lay dying". The Australian. 22 September 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  6. ^ Horne, Donald, 1921-2005 (2006), Donald Horne on how I came to write The lucky country, Melbourne University Publishing, ISBN 9780522852226{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Australian Biography: Donald Horne". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  8. ^ Davis, Glynn (Winter 2010). "The Endless Seminar". Griffin. 28: 111–131.
  9. ^ The Observer, Australian Consolidated Press, 1958, retrieved 20 May 2016
  10. ^ Scutt, Jocelynne A., Dr, 1947- (1987), Different lives, Penguin, ISBN 978-0-14-006899-3{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ McKenna, Mark (1996), The captive republic : a history of republicanism in Australia 1788-1996, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-57258-3
  12. ^ Horne, Donald (1933), Papers, retrieved 23 May 2016
  13. ^ "Visions of a civilised nation". The Canberra Times. Vol. 67, no. 21, 069. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 19 December 1992. p. 26. Retrieved 23 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "New book about Sir John". The Canberra Times. Vol. 51, no. 14, 598. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 1 February 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 23 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.