Gwen Harwood

Gwen Harwood, Australian poet and playwright (died 1995)

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Born: June 8, 1920
Died: December 9, 1995
Zodiac sign: Gemini
Birth year: 1920

About Gwen Harwood

Gwen Harwood (née Gwendoline Nessie Foster, 8 June 1920 – 5 December 1995) was an Australian poet and librettist. Harwood is regarded as one of Australia's finest poets, publishing over 420 works, including 386 poems and 13 librettos. She won numerous poetry awards and prizes, and one of Australia's most significant poetry prizes, the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize is named for her. Her work is commonly studied in schools and university courses. Gwen Harwood was the mother of the author John Harwood. == Life == Harwood was born on 8 June 1920 in Taringa, a suburb of Brisbane. Early in her life, she developed an interest in literature, philosophy and music. Her father played piano, violin, guitar and the flute. Both Gwen and her brother were given piano lessons, and originally Gwen wanted to be a musician. Gwen's grandmother introduced her to poetry; this inspired her and became her lifelong calling and passion.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Harwood had written poetry for many years, and her first poem was published in Meanjin in 1944, but her work did not start appearing regularly in journals and books until the 1960s.
Her first book of poems, titled Poems, was published in 1963, followed in 1968 by Poems Volume II.

Gwen Harwood timeline

1944Harwood had written poetry for many years, and her first poem was published in Meanjin in 1944, but her work did not start appearing regularly in journals and books until the 1960s.
1963Her first book of poems, titled Poems, was published in 1963, followed in 1968 by Poems Volume II.

The world when Gwen Harwood was born

Gwen Harwood was born in 1920. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1920

#1 song"Swanee" – Al Jolson
Top movieThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Best-selling bookThe Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentBabe Ruth sold to the New York Yankees
Top headlineWomen win the right to vote with the 19th Amendment
Technology milestoneFirst commercial radio broadcasts
Defining fadFlappers and the Jazz Age
Notable inventionBand-Aid adhesive bandages
World population1.86 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderWoodrow Wilson
Sports championCleveland Indians (World Series)
U.S. population106.0M

1920 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Gwen Harwood's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1920	2026
Gas	$0.30	$3.45/gal
Average home	$6,296	$435,000
Average income	$3,269	$67,500
Movie ticket	$0.15	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.02	$0.73
Population	106.0M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.