Lilian's Story: Text Classics

Listen, I told myself, and heard the waves against the harbour-wall, a gull being peevish, the white tapping stick of a blind man against the stones. Listen, I told myself, this is history.

Loosely inspired by the legendary Sydney bohemian Bea Miles, Kate Grenville’s much-loved debut novel recounts the life of the irrepressible Lilian Una Singer: from wealthy middle-class girlhood under the rule of a monstrous father, to outspoken independence in adulthood, and eventually sleeping rough on the city’s streets in later years, her spirit undaunted. Bold, exuberant and richly imaginative, Lilian’s Story was acclaimed as a masterpiece on its publication in 1985. It is unforgettable.

Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers. Her international bestseller The Secret River was awarded local and overseas prizes, has been adapted for the stage and as an acclaimed television miniseries, and is now a much-loved classic. Grenville’s other novels include Sarah Thornhill, The Lieutenant, Dark Places and the Orange Prize winner The Idea of Perfection. Her most recent books are two works of non-fiction, One Life: My Mother’s Story and The Case Against Fragrance, and the bestselling 2020 novel A Room Made of Leaves. She has also written three books about the writing process. In 2017 Grenville was awarded the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. She lives in Melbourne.

‘Dazzling fiction of universal appeal.’ Patrick White

‘Very moving and sometimes funny…Evocative and poetic.’ Elizabeth Jolley

‘A work of considerable beauty and power…An uncompromising vision…told with honesty and virtuosity.’ New York Times Book Review

‘One of the great Australian novels…Luminous…A triumph.’ Australian Book Review