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Loosely based on the life of illustrator Elizabeth Gould, THE BIRDMAN’S WIFE is reminiscent of Lily King’s EUPHORIA by Lily King and BURIAL RITES by Hannah Kent.

The legendary ‘birdman’, John Gould created one of the most indelible brand names in natural history. Still celebrated as the father of Australian ornithology and the creator of its bible, The Birds of Australia , Gould had a secret weapon his pioneering artist wife, Elizabeth.

Inspired by letters from Elizabeth found tucked inside her famous husband’s research, THE BIRDMAN’S WIFE takes the form of an intimate memoir of a woman whose talent and adventurous spirit led her from the glittering salons of London to the wilds of Tasmania land and New South Wales. Set in London and Australia between 1827 and 1841, we follow Elizabeth as she meets and is courted by the famous birdman and later becomes his wife and collaborator. Elizabeth was a woman ahead of her time, juggling the demands of her artistic career-- including creating more than 650 hand-coloured lithographs for eight collections--with her role as a wife and mother

Against the fascinating backdrop of a society obsessed with exploration and discovery, Elizabeth meets and works with ome of the most famous artists and explorers of the day. She learns how to bring her subjects to life from the brilliant Edward Lear and illustrates Charles Darwin’s famous Galapagos finches, all while trying to find her own voice and place in the world. Thrilled by the discoveries of Darwin, Elizabeth defied convention in accompanying John on a trailblazing tour of Australia to collect and illustrate its ‘curious’ birdlife. Weaving the discovery of Australia’s unique bird species with her own personal journey, Elizabeth brings to vibrant life another time and place as she struggles with the demands of her art, the needs of her children and living with an ambitious and demanding genius.

 

Melissa Ashley is a writer, poet, birder and academic who tutors in poetry and creative writing at the University of Queensland. She has published a collection of poems, The Hospital for Dolls, short stories, essays and articles. What started out as research for a PhD dissertation on Elizabeth Gould became a labour of love and her first novel, The Birdman’s Wife. Inspired by her heroine, she studied taxidermy as a volunteer at the Queensland Museum. Melissa lives in Brisbane.