Frank Moorhouse

Writer

Frank Moorhouse AM (1938–2022) was an acclaimed Australian writer celebrated for his contributions to literature across fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, and essays. Born in Nowra, NSW, Frank began his career as a cadet journalist before working as a reporter and editor on regional newspapers. He became a full-time writer in the 1970s, developing his signature 'discontinuous narrative' style and producing works that have been published internationally and translated into numerous languages, including German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Serbian, and Swedish.

Best known for the Edith Trilogy: Grand Days (1993), Dark Palace (2000), and Cold Light (2011), the series traces the life of a young woman who enters the world of diplomacy at the League of Nations in the 1920s and then in the International Atomic Energy Agency after World War II. The trilogy received high praise, with the second instalment, Dark Palace, winning the 2001 Miles Franklin Literary Award, and the third, Cold Light, winning the 2012 Queensland Literary Award.

Frank’s collections of linked short stories include Futility and Other Animals (1969), The Americans, Baby (1972), The Electrical Experience (1974), which won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1975, and The Everlasting Secret Family (1980). In addition to the Edith Trilogy, Frank also wrote the novels Conference-ville (1976) and Forty-Seventeen (1988), the latter of which won The Age Book of the Year Award and the ALS Gold Medal.

For the screen, Frank adapted the romantic comedy film The Coca-Cola Kid (1985) from his own short stories in The Americans, Baby and The Electrical Experience, which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and The Everlasting Secret Family (1988), which received AFI nominations and international recognition. He wrote the screenplay for the feature Between Wars (1974), the short film The Girl Who Met Simone de Beauvoir in Paris (1980), and the television film adaptation of Conferenceville (1976).

Frank also wrote a number of critically acclaimed non-fiction books, including his humorous Martini: A Memoir (2005), in which he muses on the cultural significance of the martini while sharing personal stories of friendship, love, and loss; Australia Under Surveillance (2014), where he reflects on ASIO's surveillance of him since his youth while questioning the balance between safety and democratic rights; and The Drover’s Wife: A Collection (2017), where, through a collection of essays and commentary, Frank examines our ongoing fascination with Henry Lawson’s story.

A passionate advocate for authors' rights, Frank played a pivotal role in developing copyright law in Australia and served as chairman and director of the Australian Copyright Agency (CAL). He was also a past president of the Australian Society of Authors and a member of the Australian Press Council. Recognised for his contributions to Australian literature, Frank was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1985 and received the Centenary Medal in 2001.

For enquiries regarding Frank Moorhouse’s estate, please contact us via email or on
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