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Jacqueline Frances Kent (born 1947) is an Australian journalist, biographer and non-fiction writer. She is also known as Jacquie Kent, the name she used when writing young adult fiction in the 1990s and sometimes writes as Frances Cook.[1][2]
Jacqueline Kent | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jacqueline Frances Kent 1947 (age 76–77) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | biographer, non-fiction writer |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Doctorate of Creative Arts |
| Alma mater | University of Technology Sydney |
| Notable works | A Certain Style: Beatrice Davis, a Literary Life An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin |
| Notable awards | |
| Spouse | Kenneth Cook |
Kent was born in Sydney in 1947 and later moved to Adelaide, returning to Sydney to a position with the Australian Broadcasting Commission following graduation with an Arts degree.[3]
Kent wrote her first book, Out of the Bakelite Box: The Heyday of Australian Radio, while working as a freelance editor. Published in 1983 by Angus & Robertson, it was described by Maurice Dunlevy in The Canberra Times: "This popular social history of Australian radio after World War II is a classic piece of book journalism" and "a buzz from beginning to end".[4] In 1985 she curated an exhibition called "On Air" for the National Film and Sound Archive.[5]
She was appointed to the judging panel for the National Short Story of the Year competition for 1984[6] and 1985.[7]
In 1985 she met Kenneth Cook, subject of her 2019 memoir, Beyond Words, and author of Wake in Fright. They married and were together until his sudden death in April 1987.[8][9]
Kent is a frequent contributor to and book reviewer for Australian publications, including Australian Book Review, Meanjin, The Weekend Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.[1] She has contributed five biographies to the Australian Dictionary of Biography.[10]
In 2007 Kent was awarded a Doctorate of Creative Arts from the University of Technology Sydney for her thesis, "Artistry Under Oath: Biography and the life story of Hephzibah Menuhin".[11] The following year it was published by Viking as An Exacting Heart.[12]
Book awards
- A Certain Style
- National Biography Award, winner, 2002[13]
- Nita Kibble Literary Award, winner, 2002[14]
- New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction, shortlisted, 2002[15]
- An Exacting Heart
- The Age Book of the Year Award, Non-Fiction Prize, shortlisted, 2008[1]
- Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Best Non-Fiction Book and Best History Book, shortlisted, 2008[16]
- Nita Kibble Literary Award, winner, 2009[14]
- New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction and Community Relations Commission Award, shortlisted, 2009[17]
- Festival Awards for Literature (SA), Award for Non-Fiction, shortlisted, 2010[1]
- The Australian Historical Association Awards, Magarey Medal for Biography, shortlisted, 2010[18]
- Beyond Words: A Year with Kenneth Cook
- National Biography Award, shortlisted, 2020[19]
Fellowships
- Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellowship, 1994[1]
- Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship
- shortlisted, for a biography of Robert Helpmann, 2016[20]
- winner, for a biography of Vida Goldstein, 2018[21]
Biography and memoir
- A Certain Style: Beatrice Davis, a Literary Life, Viking, 2001
- An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin, Viking, 2008
- The Making of Julia Gillard, Viking, 2009
- Take Your Best Shot: The Prime Ministership of Julia Gillard, Penguin, 2013
- Beyond Words: A Year with Kenneth Cook, University of Queensland Press, 2019
- Vida: A Woman For Our Time, Penguin, 2020
Non-fiction
- Out of the Bakelite Box: The Heyday of Australian Radio, Angus & Robertson, 1983
- In the Half Light: Life as a Child in Australia 1900-1970, Angus & Robertson, 1988
Young adult fiction
- Angel Claws, I Love You, Puffin, 1992
- Heartbreak High, 1998
- Making Up, Breaking Up, ABC Books, 1998
- Love, Hate, ABC Books, 1998
- Secrets and Lies, ABC Books, 1999
- Tough Call, ABC Books, 1999
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