Susanna de Vries
| Susanna de Vries | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 6, 1936 |
| Occupation | Writer, art historian, journalist |
| Ethnicity | British |
| Citizenship | Australian |
| Period | 1987-2014 |
| Genre | Bibliography, history |
| Notable awards | Winston Churchill Fellowship, Order of Australia 1996 |
| Years active | 1987 to 2016 |
| Spouse | Larry Evans |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Susanna de Vries AM (born 6 October 1936) is an historian, writer and former academic. The majority of her books detail the bravery and hardships experienced by women during war with female contributions to the arts and various pioneering women the other main subjects of her work. She draws the accounts from war records, contemporary newspaper accounts, family histories and personal letters.[1] She was trained as an art historian. In 1996, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to art and literature. De Vries has published more than twenty books. She was born in England then moved to Australia in 1975.
Personal life
Susanna de Vries was born on 6 October 1936. De Vries grow up in England where she experienced the bombing of London in World War II. She went to St George's School, Ascot, in Berkshire. She studied art history and history at the Sorbonne in Paris, France and the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain. De Vries moved to Queensland in 1975 where shortly afterwards she began working for a library at the University of Queensland. In 1980, she moved to Sydney with her husband. In 1995, de Vries gained a Diploma in Renaissance Art from Instituto Lorenzo di Medici in Florence.
Career
In Austrlaia de Vries was a freelance journalist. She edited The Australian Connoisseur and Collector magazine and has contributed to a number of journals related to art history. She was head of Rare Books and Antiquarian Prints for James R. Lawson Fine Art Auctioneers from 1979 to 1982. She was a lecturer in art history for the Queensland University of Technology Department of Architecture in Brisbane between 1991 and 1992.
Other activities
In June 2015, de Vries hosted a ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance in Brisbane to honour ANZAC nurses.[2] Some of the earnings from her published material is donated to related causes.
Awards
In 1995, the Winston Churchill Fellowship was awarded de Vries to study Renaissance art in Italy. The following year she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her services as an author and a lecturer in Australian and European art history and history.[3] In 2001 she was awarded a Tyrone Guthrie Fellowship by the Literature Board of the Australia Council. In 2012, the Society of Australian Women Writers presented Susanna with the Alice Award. She was also received the Sligo Non-Fiction prize and the Alice Award from the Society of Australian Women Authors in Sydney in 2012.[4]
Published works
Susanna de Vries has published more than 20 titles. Some works were published under the name Susanna de Vries-Evans. de Vries has attempted to expose the lives of women whose stories are not commonly known.[5] These includes the following:
| Audio | |
|---|---|
 Desert queen Daisy Bates | |
| Video | |
 Royal Mistresses of the House of Hanover-Windsor |
- Pioneer Women Pioneer Land - Yesterday's Tall Poppies. 1987.
- Conrad Martens on the Beagle and in Australia. 1993. This title documents the life of Conrad Martens.
- Blue Ribbons Bitter Bread, the Story of Joice Loch, Australia's Most Decorated Woman, Pirgos Press/Dennis Jones, Melbourne. 2000. This book tells the story of Joice NanKivell Loch
- The Complete Book of Great Australian Women: 36 Women who Have Changed the Course of Australia. 2003.
- Heroic Australian Women in War. 2004.
- Great Pioneer Women of the Outback. 2005. HarperCollins.
- To Hell and Back. 2007.
- Desert Queen: The Many Lives and Loves of Daisy Bates. 2008. This is a revealing portrayal of Daisy Bates.
- Trailblazers and Females on the Fatal Shore. 2011.
- Royal Mistresses Of The House of Hanover-Windsor. 2012.
- Australian Heroines of World War One: Gallipoli, Lemnos and the Western Front' . 2013.
- Historic Sydney: The Founding of Australia. 2014.
- The Many Lives of Daisy Bates.
- Royal Mistresses Of The House Of Hanover-Windsor.
- Females On The Fatal Shore.
- Ethel Carrick Fox.
See also
References
- ↑ Mark Day (26 October 2012). "Women brave frontline of war and misogyny". The Australian (News Limited). Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ↑ Stephanie Anderson (18 June 2015). "Diary of Clementina Hays Marshall highlights crucial role of forgotten World War I nurses". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ↑ "De Vries-Evans, Susanna Mary". It's an Honour. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ↑ "The Awards". Society of Women Writers NSW. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- ↑ "Transcript: Australian women of the century remembered in federation book". 7:30 Report. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 December 2000. Retrieved 14 February 2016.