Kathryn Marie Lette, better known as Kathy Lette, is a prominent Australian-British author celebrated for her vivid, humorous explorations of femininity. Her novels Dead Sexy (2003) and How To Kill Your Husband (2006) became international bestsellers.
Kathryn Lette was born in Sydney, Australia. In her early years, she made headlines in her youth, notably in a 1978 feature in The Sydney Morning Herald, where she and her friend Gabrielle Carey stood up for the rights of buskers in Sydney, challenging a dated Act of Parliament. This spirit of defiance and advocacy for rights has permeated her literary work.
Her literary career took off with the publication of Puberty Blues in 1979. The book, which looks at the lives of teenage girls in Sydney’s surf culture, was groundbreaking and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. It was later adapted into a film and a television series.
After her success, Lette moved to the United Kingdom in 1988 and became a British citizen in 2011. Her career diversified as she ventured into newspaper columns, sitcom writing, and a continuous output of novels and plays. Her works often feature strong, quirky female protagonists facing both comedic and poignant life situations.
Notable titles include Foetal Attraction (1993), Mad Cows (1996), and How to Kill Your Husband (and other handy household hints) (2006), the latter of which was adapted into an opera.
Lette has edited anthologies, contributed to major literary magazines, and been actively involved in various literary events. In 2017, she was the recipient of an honorary doctorate for gender equality and human rights from the University of Wollongong.
In her latest novel, The Revenge Club (2024), Lette returns with her signature blend of humor and insight. The book follows four successful women-Matilda, Jo, Penny, and Cressy-who find themselves professionally sidelined by less-qualified men. Not one to take it lying down, they form the Revenge Club to challenge their marginalization and plot revenge.
Kathy Lette lives in South Hampstead, London, with her children Julius and Georgina. Despite separating from her husband, Geoffrey Robertson, in 2017, she remains a dynamic figure in literary and social activism, especially supporting UK Labour.
Photo credit: www.kathylette.com
