Description
ISBN: 9781923451032
Year: 2026
Publisher: Monash University Publishing
Description:
A revealing inside look at a brilliant creative partnership
This lively correspondence between celebrated poet Gwen Harwood and renowned composer Larry Sitsky, covering their creation of a series of acclaimed and at times controversial operas, gives an insight into a unique collaboration between two highly gifted Australian artists in the second half of the twentieth century. It brings to life the formation of six groundbreaking operatic works while giving a fascinating glimpse into the very different lives of two important Australian cultural figures.
Introduced by acclaimed biographer and scholar Ann-Marie Priest, these letters, collected together for the first time, reveal a dynamic creative partnership. Each chapter charts the development of a different work and offers historical and biographical context. The portrait that emerges is compelling, propulsive and illuminating, as the tensions and emerging affinities between the two artists set the stage for the creation of great works.
Praise for My Tongue is My Own
'Gwen Harwood, that excellent poet and critic, deserves a sympathetic and lively biography. Ann-Marie Priest, to her credit, has just written that book.' - Ann Blainey, winner of 2009 National Biography Award
'This is a big book but it is a genuine thrill to read, a page-turner and a classic expression of the biographical form. It's an astonishing achievement.' - Rick Morton
'A fearless, fascinating account of rule breakers, rule makers and rule enforcers.' - Laura Jean McKay
'Priest gives us the full complexity of the different