biography and women's history | creative non fiction
'Captures a wonderful sense of Miles Franklin as a person. A fascinating page turner' - Gillian Armstrong, director of My Brilliant Career
'Riveting' - Jane Caro, columnist, author, feminist
'Evocative & richly drawn' - Jacqueline Maley, author & journalist
'Miles Franklin comes alive' - Brigitta Olubus, author of
Shirley Hazzard, A Writing Life
About Kerrie Davies
Kerrie Davies is the author of Miles Franklin Undercover, released March 2025 (Allen & Unwin). Her previous book, A Wife's Heart, created national discussion about the poet Henry Lawson & his marriage. She has appeared at the Sydney Writers' Festival, Brisbane Writers Festival & the National Folk Festival. A former journalist, Kerrie was a visiting fellow at the State LIbrary NSW and is Senior Lecturer at the School of the Arts & Media, UNSW Sydney. Kerrie writes for the Conversation, and lives on the NSW North Coast and Sydney with her husband, Oliver and their two dogs, Ursa & Loki.
Featured Books
An innovative, imaginative work of biography, examining Bertha and Henry Lawson’s marriage through a modern lens
'Verdict: Heartbreaking' - Herald Sun
'A sympathetic, often quite moving portrait of a deeply troubled and unhappy marriage' - The Daily Advertiser
'There is a theory that any woman can be rescued from the shoals of failure and despair by finding some man to ask her in marriage, but before I could be happy in love I should at least need to realize myself.'
In this real-life sequel to My Brilliant Career, author Kerrie Davies uncovers a little-known period in Miles' life, from the servant's quarters of Sydney and Melbourne's wealthy houses to volatile Chicago, in the turbulent years after her early success. Davies draws on a never-before published manuscript and diary extracts of Miles' year undercover as a servant, intimate correspondence with poet Banjo Paterson, and archival sources
from Australia and Chicago.
Miles Undercover is a powerful story of a young woman's enduring resilience, and her determination to always be her own heroine.
Sydney Morning Herald
Reviews & News
Thirty books we're excited to read The Sydney Morning Herald (2 Jan 2025)
'A new take on Miles Franklin....what a story!': Lucy Sussex, ABR, August 2025
'...Davies is a further dialogue with originality and the new...this keenly researched and lively introduction to her (Franklin's) vitality and vulnerability will introduce her to a wider audience.' The Age / SMH / Brisbane Times: (March 19 2025)
Miles Franklin Undercover: Good Reading Extract (March 2025)
'A fascinating story of an embattled talent' - SMH, 12 new books to delve into (March 5, 2025)
Good Reads: 'An absolute treat... completely in sync with who she was and the times that she lived through.' 5 stars
'I didn't just read about her...I felt her. And I felt all the other women standing behind her, behind me... whispering you are not alone.' - Chuying, reader '
'...brings people and history to life in an authentic and absorbing way' - Newtown Review of Books.
The Weekend Australian on A Wife's Heart ( 2017): ‘It takes a brave soul to challenge the iconic status of an Australian institution.’ 4.3 stars Good Reads
Author Talks, Festivals & Conversations
New and recent events
Multiple DatesThu, 20 NovTweed Heads Library
Thu, 22 MayEveleigh
Wed, 21 MaySydney
Fri, 02 MayEast Maitland- Sat, 05 AprIgnite Studio, NR Community Gallery
Thu, 03 AprNorth Sydney
Fri, 28 MarManly
Thu, 27 MarGlebe
Sat, 15 MarWagstaffe
