Person

Blewett, Dorothy, 1898-1965

• Blewett, D.
• Praize, Anne

1898-1965

Dorothy Emilie Blewett was born on 23 July 1898 at Northcote, Victoria. Blewett worked initially as a teacher then as a secretary and stenographer for a number of companies in Melbourne, including at the Melbourne Head Office of Thomas Cook Travel where she worked from 1949 to 1951. During her time at Thomas Cook Travel she wrote articles on Australia for Cook’s Staff Magazine. As a secretary, she became a novelist, playwright, short story writer, and promoter of Australian literature. She was secretary of the Melbourne branch of Poets, Editors and Novelists (PEN) for a time. In 1951 she moved to London with her sister, Elizabeth Blewett and worked as the secretary of the London-based, Society of Australian Writers. She travelled frequently throughout Europe and the UK, representing Australia at International PEN meetings in many countries. On her return to Australia in 1959, Blewett became a literary agent representing a number of Australian writers.

Blewett died on 17 September 1965 at Eltham, Victoria, where she had lived with two of her sisters after returning from London. Her sister, Elizabeth (Bill), nephew Michael Rice and niece Prue Molnar managed her literary estate until 2016 when Blewett's papers were gifted to AustLit (University of Queensland).

Revised

Revised, Linda Justo, 22-Aug-2023. Created, BS, 25-Nov-2022

Author record, Dorothy Blewett, AustLit, accessed online 24-Nov-2022.