Suzanne Falkiner

A rewarding biography, although one where the research shows on every page!

Suzanne Falkiner spent the better part of a decade on this probing study of the life of Randolph Stow. Stow is undoubtedly one of the pivotal 20th century novelists of the Australian experience, and one with an unusual trajectory. A natural loner, constantly discontented with the life values of white Australia, Stow published five novels and a book of poetry by the time he was 30, including winning the second-ever Miles Franklin Award for To the Islands. Shortly thereafter, he left Australia for North America and then the UK. He continued to write - four more novels, a book of poetry, and two opera libretti - but his pace had slowed considerably, and, after his 50th birthday, Stow published no further works, aside from occasional book reviews and individual poems, and letters to the editor in the Times Literary Supplement. He would live another quarter-century, becoming an enigmatic icon.

Unsurprisingly, Falkiner devotes a disproportionate chunk of the book to Stow's formative years, interviewing his surviving friends and family, digging deep into his letters and diaries, to present the most well-rounded biography of a person that is possible without their direct input. The interested reader will be able to piece together Stow's life on an almost daily basis. At heart, one might argue that this is a resource for those who already know his novels. As we chart the growth of this peculiar, keen-eyed young man to adulthood and maturity, we watch the emergence of the distant, sometimes bitter, sometimes mournful tone that emerges from his greatest works like Tourmaline and Visitants.

At the same time - and I emphasise this is not a negative review -Falkiner's work could be rightly called a "biography", but not perhaps a "study". I opened this book not long after reading David Marr's bio of Patrick White, and Frances De Groen's of Xavier Herbert; it took me a while to realise I was reading a very different book. Falkiner spends little time attempting to explain "Mick" through his works, or taking us through the literature itself. (She is more helpful regarding the works that are less known to the general reader, namely his early poetry and his magazine pieces.) Indeed, it seems as if Falkiner's main interest was to capture every single thing that Stow had ever done which could be verified! When he takes a train journey within Australia, we hear about every location. When he attends a study group or starts a new job, we are given the names of every person in attendance even if they are not notable and will never appear again. The stunningly detailed endnotes attest to Falkiner's research skill, which sometimes make their way into the text proper. During one chapter, Falkiner adds - perhaps unnecessarily - "At around [this] time he notified the Department of Territories in Canberra of his change of address".

This is perhaps fair enough. Most great Australian writers are only granted one biography, if they receive one at all. It is a great pleasure to have Falkiner dig through the archives, and also a comfort to know she was able to extract stories about Mick from his family and acquaintances, many of whom must by necessity have been quite elderly at the time. The benefit of this dense profiling of individual moments is that we capture the feeling behind the experiences: the often manic nature of life in a university boarding house, or the alternating laughter and boredom of life in a remote mission. The downside is that the reader who is using the book for enlightenment rather than specific study can occasionally become overwhelmed with minutiae! This clears up somewhat during Stow's later years, when he stops changing job and location every few months as was his youthful wont.

Still, a deservedly thick tome.… (lisätietoja)

Basically I'm giving this book 4 stars not for the book itself but for the wonderful story it relates as it draws heavily from the diaries of Rose and her letters to her friends and family and the log kept by the ship's artist who mentions her. Rose was stowed away by Captain de Freycinet on his voyage from France through to Australia and back again. Initially hidden, she was the only woman on a ship of over 120 men and she survived not only months and months at sea on meagre rations and in cramped quarters but also camping on foreign uncharted soil (Australia) and even shipwreck! Faulkner relates an absolutely extraordinary tale of one woman's bravery that makes you question de Freycinet's motive's for dragging his wife with him around the world - what if she had got pregnant? what if something had happened to him and she was left alone? A great read that I couldn't put down, especially the part with the shipwreck which tested all the crew onboard de Freycinet's ship. A must for lovers of history and tales of strong women.
Reviewed for the VPRC. Note this book is in non-fiction format with footnotes and is not a novel.… (lisätietoja)