A poet by any other name

While she would go on to become known as one of Australia’s most important and influential poets, early in her writing career Gwen was frustrated by a constant battle to have her voice heard.

Noting her work would routinely be published when she submitted under a variety of male pseudonyms, including Walter Lehmann, Francis Geyer and Timothy Kline, Harwood hatched a plan to pull off one of the most stunning Australian literary hoaxes of the 20th century.

In 1961 she submitted a pair of sonnets to The Bulletin under the name Walter Lehmann, demonstrating she was as handy with a caustic acrostic as she was with a rhyming couplet. The first letter of each line of the poems spelled out her frustrations loud and crudely clear. The first read: `So long Bulletin', and the second: `F--- all editors'.

After the hoax was revealed, Gwen went on to find wider acceptance and acclaim, although she was dismayed by a newspaper headline that cast her as: `Housewife in hoax of the year'.

Born in Taringa in 1920, Gwen attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 1933 to 1937. It was here that her love of literature first took root, inspired by English teacher Miss Lexie McMillan. A gifted and thoughtful student, Gwen received the Art Prize in 1934 and 1935, and in 1936 was awarded the prestigious Betty Woolcock Challenge Cup for best all-round girl.

From an early age, Gwen’s world was filled with music and language—her father played several instruments and she trained as a pianist, also serving as an organist at All Saints' Church while still a student. She went on to complete a music teacher’s diploma and worked as a typist for the War Damage Commission during World War II.

In 1945, Gwen married linguist Bill Harwood and they moved to Tasmania, where her writing career flourished. She developed a deep interest in philosophy, which would influence her writing throughout her life. Her grandmother had introduced her to poetry, and this became her true calling.

Gwen’s writing career spanned decades, and her poetic voice—intimate, mischievous, satirical and deeply human—earned critical acclaim both in Australia and internationally.

Gwen’s poetry explored themes of motherhood, memory, identity, and artistic struggle, often critiquing the limitations placed on women’s lives and voices. Her command of form, tone, and metaphor established her as one of the defining figures of Australian literature, publishing over 420 works, including 386 poems, 13 librettos and many critical essays.

Over the course of her career, Gwen received the Patrick White Literary Award (1978), was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1989, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 1994.

In 2005, the Girls Grammar honoured her legacy by establishing the Gwen Harwood Society, a creative writing group for students interested in exploring poetry, prose, and performance.

Gwen died in South Hobart in December 1995 aged 75 years. Gwen Harwood’s work continues to be studied and celebrated for its brilliance, depth, and unflinching honesty—a lasting testament to the voice of a Grammar girl who helped shape the literary landscape of a nation.