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Book Review
| Lenore Coltheart (ed.), Jessie Street: a Revised Autobiography, The Federation Press, Sydney, 2004. pp. x + 246. $30.00 paper.
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| Jessie Street was an extraordinary woman and this revision of her autobiography, Truth or Repose, will ensure that a broader audience appreciates her life and work. For this reason, her family, the editor and the staff of the Jessie Street Foundation are to be commended for co-operating to secure its production and publication. |
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Everything about this book makes it more appealing and accessible than its predecessor, from its attractive cover to its reasonably comprehensive index. The text has a clearer structure, with fewer chapters and informative subtitles. It is illustrated with 32 photographs. The phraseology is, on the whole, less awkward. A new final chapter has been added, which consists mostly of letters and photographs dating from the period after 1945, the point at which the original text ended. These give the reader some indication of both the scope of Street's public work and the strength of her personal relationships during the final 25 years of her life, without attempting to provide a detailed or comprehensive account of this period. |
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According to the editor, the aims of the revision were threefold, namely: 'to draw out a chronological structure, to eliminate repetition and to include necessary information'. In each case, a price has been paid to achieve the desired object. |
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By imposing chronological order on the original text, the editor has eliminated much material relating to post-war events. Street's original text underscored many connections between these events and developments prior to 1946, for example, links between the circumstances surrounding the formation of the United Nations and its later failures. The new material in the final chapter only partially compensates for this excised text. |
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The editor has also separated sequences of events that Street associated, at least in retrospect. For example, Street presents her involvement in the Social Hygiene Association, her conflict with the National Council of Women, and her formation of the United Associations of Women as interlocking events, the revised text does not. Street's original text creates a false impression as to the timing of these events. However, it also emphasises the connections between them. |
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Similarly, by eliminating repetition, the revised text lays less emphasis on some themes than the original. Street chose to depict herself as a woman who was committed and compassionate. Her original autobiography also reveals that she could, on occasion, be prejudiced and arrogant. Street's passion for her chosen causes remains evident in the revised text. However, her antagonism towards opposing forces appears less virulent. The effect is to make Street appear less immoderate in her responses to issues and individuals. |
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In addition, much more material has been eliminated than was necessary to prevent repetition. These cuts are not referred to in the preface. This makes it difficult for the reader to accurately assess the amount of material excised and its significance. However, some of this material is clearly of great historical interest. For example, Street's account of the plight of the Aboriginal population on her grandfather's property and its causes has been abridged in the revised edition. The revised text sits more comfortably with Street's reputation as an Aboriginal rights activist than the original. |
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The preface states that material has only been added to 'provide missing historical context, for example the date of an event, the full name of a person, or a brief explanation'. This assumes that obvious omissions in the text are oversights and should be rectified. However, the following examples suggest otherwise. |
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Names have been added to the revised text, including Rose Scott and Bessie Rischbieth. Historians have documented Street's disputes with both women but these are not specifically referred to in either edition. The editor has also made several alterations to Street's account of the equal pay campaign during World War II. Both original and revised editions make clear that there was conflict between Street and Muriel Heagney but only the revised account describes Heagney as a 'prominent unionist'. Historians have also examined the controversy associated with this campaign. Thus, Street's attitude to all three women is relevant, including any failure to acknowledge either them or their reputations. |
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Some of this collateral damage was probably unavoidable. Street's text was in dire need of revision. Nevertheless, its structure and phraseology could have been improved with fewer substantive additions and amendments. |
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Street's legacy deserves to be considered in all its complexity. Her silences are as much part of this legacy as her speeches. The very title of her autobiography proclaims that truth is never comfortable. Neither is it a synonym for accuracy. Both the original title and the quotation from which it was taken have been eliminated from the current edition. I prefer to take the lady at her word. |
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| University of New South Wales |
KATE DEVERALL | |
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