Barbara Brooks & Sal Brereton in the kitchen at Coalcliff 1980. Photograph by Micky Allan
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Rochford Street Review was saddened to learn of the death of Barbara Brooks on 29 October 2026. Barbara was a friend and mentor to many and an extraordinary writer who pushed at the boundaries of fiction, poetry and memoir. Perhaps most well known for her biography of Eleanor Dark (Eleanor Dark: a writer’s life by Barbara Brooks with Judith Clark, Macmillan, 1998), her work also included short memoir, essays, reviews and fiction. She was a founding member of the influential Memoir Club in Sydney.
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There will be a celebration of Barbara’s life from 2 to 5pm, Friday 13 November at Marrickville Library Pavilion, 313 Marrickville Road, Marrickville NSW.
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