Two Australian-born literary luminaries, Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower have often been underappreciated and ignored by many of their contemporaries and readers.
In “Hazzard and Harrower The Letters”, Brigitta Olubas Professor of English at the University of New South Wales and the official biographer of Hazzard, in conjunction with celebrated journalist, Susan Wyndham, has organised and edited Hazzard’s and Harrower’s hundreds of letters, postcards and memos during the 40 years of their correspondence (around 400,000 words) into an extraordinary account of their complex relationship.
Harrower from her home in Sydney and Hazzard from apartments in New York, Naples and Capri, exchanged opinions and judgements; their long-standing, long-distance friendship developed through their correspondence of over four decades. The letters, not only provide incredible insight into the lives of these talented writers and the literary world around them but also demonstrate how they provided encouragement and personal and practical support to each other.
Their correspondence provides readers with their liberal progressive views on domestic and world politics; events covered include Watergate, the dismissal of the Whitlam government, the opening of the Sydney Opera House, civil unrest in the United States, the Darwin cyclone, and the Sydney Olympics.
To aid the readers, the authors have grouped the letters into three periods with a brief synopsis of events, and they have also provided comprehensive notes and an excellent index. To achieve maximum enjoyment from this book, some readers may need to refresh their knowledge of events and identities, that the women refer to in their correspondence.
Reviewed By Nan van Dissel October 24, 2024
Author Edited by Brigitta Olubas, Susan Wyndham
Distributor: New South Books
ISBN: 9781742238180
Publisher: UNSW Press
Release Date: May 2024
Website: https://unsw.press/books/hazzard-and-harrower/
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