This website may not work correctly in Internet Explorer. We recommend switching to a more secure modern web browser such as Microsoft Edge which is already installed on your computer.

View this website in Edge.

  • Published: Melbourne University Press
  • Date: 2022
  • ISBN: 9780522877380
  • Formats: Print

Nathan Hobby evokes the ghost of Katharine Susannah Prichard (1883–1969) with reverence, research and warmth in his comprehensive biography, The Red Witch. The first half of the book chronicles Prichard’s childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, during which time she wrote, travelled and rebelled. The latter half focuses on her political life and literary achievements, experienced alongside matrimony, motherhood, war and widowhood.

From the publication of Prichard’s award-winning debut novel, The Pioneers, to the building of her infamous workroom, Hobby’s perceptive insights illuminate the depths of his research, in which archival records carry invisible but significant weight. Linking Prichard’s literary successes and communist leanings with her unconventional personal life, Hobby paints a detailed portrait of this beloved Australian author; heavy with connection and laced with contrast.

Buy or borrow

We recommend browsing the business website or calling to confirm they have this book in stock or can order this book in for you before visiting in person

Keep me updated

Stay in touch with literary happenings in your region and across WA

* indicates required
© Tourism WA