Rosa Campbell Praed

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rosa Campbell Praed (27 March 1851 – 10 April 1935), often credited as "Mrs Campbell Praed" (and also known as Rosa Caroline Praed), was an Australian novelist in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Her large bibliography covered multiple genres, and books for children as well as adults.

Born Rosa Murray-Prior in Bromelton Queensland, Praed was either the eldest or the third child of Thomas Murray-Prior (1819-1892) and Matilda Harpur. Her father was born in England and came to Sydney in May 1839. He afterwards took up grazing country in Queensland and became a member of the legislative council. He was postmaster-general in the second Robert Herbert ministry in 1866, in the Robert Ramsey Mackenzie ministry, 1867-8, and the Arthur Hunter Palmer ministry, 1870-4, and was elected chairman of committees in the council in July 1889. He married (1) Matilda Harpur in 1846 who died in 1868 and (2) Nora C. Barton.

Rosa was educated at Brisbane, where she gathered the materials for the political and social life of her early books. On 29 October 1872 she married Arthur Campbell Praed, a nephew of Winthrop Mackworth Praed the poet.

In 1875 or 1876, after living on a cattle station for three or four years, the Praeds moved to England where Rosa established herself as a writer. Except for a visit to Australia made some 18 years later, England was henceforth her home. Her experiences in Australian and England provided her with much source material.

These were not, however, her only sources of inspiration: Rosa Praed developed a fascination with the spirituality and the occult while living in misery on Curtis Island with her husband before the family moved to England. In later life would develop a lesbian relationship with medium Nancy Harwood, who would provide her with many story ideas, both through suggestions and automatic writing. Praed was also interested in telepathic communication and reincarnation.

In 1880 she published her first book, An Australian Heroine, which had been twice returned to her for revision by Chapman and Hall's reader, George Meredith; he probably gave her advice of great value. This book was followed by Policy and Passion (1881), one of the best of her earlier books, which went into at least three editions. An Australian reprint was issued in 1887 under the title of Longleat of Kooralbyn. Nadine; the Study of a Woman, was published in 1882, Moloch; a Story of Sacrifice, in 1883, and Zero; a story of Monte Carlo, in 1884.

In that year began her friendship with Justin McCarthy which continued for the rest of his life. He was 20 years her senior, with an established reputation as a literary man. They collaborated in three novels, The Right Honourable (1886, 4th ed. 1891), The Rebel Rose (issued anonymously in 1888 but two later editions under the title, The Rival Princess, appeared in their joint names), and The Ladies' Gallery (1888). Another joint work was The Grey River, a book on the Thames, illustrated with etchings by Mortimer Menpes. Mrs Praed continued to write a novel a year for a long period.

Mrs Praed's husband died in 1901, and in 1902 she published My Australian Girlhood, an account of her life in the country before her marriage. It contains many interesting memories, especially those relating to the aborigines.

After a friendship of nearly 30 years Justin McCarthy died in April 1912. Towards the end of that year Mrs Praed published Our Book of Memories; Letters of Justin McCarthy to Mrs Campbell Praed, with connecting explanations. Mrs Praed's last years were spent at Torquay. In 1931 she published The Soul of Nyria, which purports to be an intimate account of life in Rome over 1800 years ago as set down by a modern woman in a mediumistic state. This record was written down by Mrs Praed between 1899 and 1903, but was not published until nearly 30 years later. Her novel, Nyria, was based on these experiences. She died at Torquay on 10 April 1935 and was survived by a daughter.

Mrs Campbell Praed never lost her interest in her native country and though most of her life was passed in England, a large proportion of her novels were based on her Australian experiences. Others dealt with the occult, with spiritualism, or with abnormal states of mind. Mrs Praed was much interested in psychological problems, her character-drawing is good although her women are better than her men, she had some sense of humour, and she could tell a story. She is entitled to a leading place among the Australian novelists who developed in the nineteenth century.

[edit] Literary works

An Australian Heroine (1880)
Policy and Passion (1881)
Australian Life: Black and White (1885)
The Head Station (1885)
Miss Jacobsen's Chance (1886)
The Bond of Wedlock (1887)
The Romance of a Station (1889)
Outlaw and Lawmaker (1893)
Mrs Tregakiss (1895)
Nùlma (1897)
As a Watch in the Night (1900)
Dwellers by the River (1902)
Fugitive Anne (1903)
My Australian Girlhood (1902)
The Ghost (1903)
The Maid of the River (1905)
The Lost Earl of Ellan (1906)
The Luck of the Leura (1907)
A Summer Wreath (1909)
Opal Fire (1910)
Our Book of Memories (1912)
Lady Bridget in the Never-Never Land (1915)
Sister Sorrow (1916)

[edit] References

"In the Steps of Rosa Praed and Tasma: Biographical Trails", lecture given by Patricia Clarke, author of Rosa ! Rosa ! A Life of Rosa Praed, Novelist and Spiritualist. Accessed 26 April 2006.
"Eighty-four amazing years", a review of Clarke's biography by Marilla North. Accessed 26 April 2006.
Book Search, a page from the National Library of Australia website describing books the Library wishes to acquire. Includes biographical details of Mrs Praed. Accessed 26 April 2006.
The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature, second edition, 1994, Oxford University Press.