The Acolyte

Thea Beatrice May Astley (1925–2004) was an Australian novelist and short story writer, born in Brisbane, Queensland. She published prolifically for over 40 years starting with Girl with a Monkey (1958), taught at various educational levels, and was the only woman of her generation to achieve early success and consistent publication in the male-dominated Australian literary scene of the 1960s and 1970s. Astley won a record four Miles Franklin Awards for The Well-Dressed Explorer (1962), The Slow Natives (1965), The Acolyte (1972), and Drylands (1999), along with other honors like the Patrick White Award.