Charmian Clift
An Australian writer who chronicled the raw, sun-drenched complexities of expatriate life and artistic partnership with unflinching honesty.
1923–1969 (age 46)·Australian writer·Birthday: August 30·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Charmian Clift wrote evocative essays and memoirs capturing the texture of life on Greek islands and Australian society. She moved from Sydney to Greece with her husband, writer George Johnston, in a partnership as creatively fertile as it was tumultuous. Their collaboration on novels like 'The High Valley' gained attention, but Clift's own work documented the beauty, poverty, intellectual ferment, and personal cost of their life. Returning to Australia in the 1960s, her sharply observed newspaper columns dissected the nation's social mores with wit. Her writing, marked by lyrical precision and emotional courage, documented a woman's struggle for creative identity against the backdrop of a celebrated but consuming marriage.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Charmian was born in 1923, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charmian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1923
#1 Movie
The Covered Wagon
Charmian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1923Born
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1928Started school
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1936Became a teenager
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Could drive
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1941Could vote
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Turned 21
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1953Turned 30
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 40
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1969Died at 46
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote the successful 'Mermaid' trilogy of novels with her husband George Johnston, including 'The High Valley'.
- Authored two acclaimed memoirs, 'Mermaid Singing' and 'Peel Me a Lotus', about her life in Greece.
- Became a influential weekly columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Herald in Melbourne in the 1960s.
- Published the novel 'Honour's Mimic', which explored themes of artistic integrity and personal betrayal.
Did You Know?
She and George Johnston lived for years on the Greek island of Hydra, in a community that included a young Leonard Cohen.
Her son, Martin Johnston, became a noted poet and journalist.
She worked as a journalist for the Australian Women's Weekly early in her career.
“We are all exiles. It is just a question of degree.”
