The Slow Natives

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.