Jessie Catherine Couvreur
Jessie Catherine Couvreur (pseudonym Tasma) (28 October 1848 – 23 October 1897) was an Australian novelist. Life Jessie Catherine Couvreur was born at Highgate, London. Her father, Alfred James Huybers, came originally from Antwerp, and his daughter was of Dutch, French and English descent. She arrived in Tasmania with her parents in December 1852 and was educated at Hobart. In June 1867 she was married to Charles F. Fraser and went to live in Melbourne. The marriage was unfortunate, and was dissolved on the petition of the wife in December 1883 on grounds of adultery and desertion of more than two years. In 1873 she visited Europe, and between 1879 and 1883 spent much time there giving courses of lectures in French at various European cities. She also wrote for the Nouvelle Revue and received from the French government the decoration of Officier d'Académie. She revisited Tasmania but returned in 1883 to live permanently in Europe. In 1885 she married Auguste Couvreur, a well-known Belgian politician and publicist. At sixteen years of age, Madame Couvreur, then Miss Huybers, had verses accepted by the Australian Journal, and she afterwards contributed essays and short stories to the Australasian and the Melbourne Review.