Jean Spender
Jean Maud Spender, Lady Spender, (1901 – 25 March 1970) Australian writer, was born Jean Maud Henderson at Burwood, New South Wales in 1901. As J. M. Spender she wrote crime fiction.[1]
On 6 April 1925 she married the then barrister Percy Spender at Coraki in Northern New South Wales. Percy Spender later became a politician and diplomat and was made KCVO, KBE, QC. The couple had two sons.[2] One son, John Spender, was also a politician and diplomat. The other, Peter Spender, wrote and produced several documentary films.[3]
Jean Spender wrote racy and successful crime thrillers, most of which are set in Sydney with a lightly disguised Percy Spender as the hero.[4]
Spender was an aunt of Dale Spender, feminist scholar, teacher and writer, and the grandmother of Allegra Spender, elected as the Member of Parliament for Wentworth in 2022.[5]
Jean Spender died on 25 March 1970 in Sydney.
Bibliography[1][edit]
- The Charge Is Murder!, Sydney: Dymocks, 1933 (novel)
- Death Comes in the Night, London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1938 (novel)
- Full Moon for Murder, London: Evans Brothers, 1948 (novel)
- Seven Days for Hanging, London: Robert Hale, 1958 (novel)
- Murder on the Prowl, London: Robert Hale, 1960 (novel)
- Death Renders Account, London: Robert Hale, 1960 (novel)
- Ambassador's Wife, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1968 (autobiography)
References[edit]
- ^ a b Austlit. "J. M. Spender | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ Lowe, David, "Sir Percy Claude Spender (1897–1985)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 27 October 2023
- ^ Austlit. "Peter Spender | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "Return to Spender". Archived from the original on 21 April 2015.
- ^ "Blue blood and green cred".
External links[edit]
- Papers of Sir Percy Spender (including those of Jean Spender.) Accessed 10 February 2015.
- Photograph of Jean and Percy Spender at State Library of New South Wales. Accessed 10 February 2015.