The early twentieth century was a golden period for Australian literature. This was particularly true of female novelists, who rose to prominence in the late 1920s. They arguably produced the best work, from this period through to the end of the Second World War. Yet some of the finest female writers encountered gendered attitudes, wrote under male pseudonyms, struggled to get their work published in Australia and received belated recognition. A closer look at three eminent early twentieth-century novelists Henry Handel Richardson, Miles Franklin and Christina Stead reveals that each faced significant obstacles in writing and publishing their work, much of which is now celebrated as leading examples of Australian literature.