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The Westerly Centre are pleased to host Helen Trinca, who will discuss her experiences writing the biography of highly regarded Australian novelist Madeleine St John

Madeleine St John was the first Australian woman to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Her novels sparkle with warmth and wit and yet her own life reveals a far more troubled story of loss and abandonment. Spanning the twentieth century and early twenty-first century, Madeleine is an unforgettable insight into the life of a fiercely talented and a highly-acclaimed Australian writer.

Helen Trinca has captured the troubled life of Madeleine St John in this moving account of a remarkable writer. After the death of her mother when Madeleine was just twelve, she struggled to find her place in the world. Estranging herself from her family, and from Australia, she lived for a time in the US before moving to London where Robert Hughes, Germaine Greer, Bruce Beresford, Barry Humphries and Clive James were making their mark.

In 1993, when The Women in Black was published, it became clear what a marvellous writer Madeleine St John was and she continued to write until her death in 2006.

Helen Trinca has co-written two previous books— Waterfront:The Battle that Changed Australia and Better than Sex: How a Whole Generation Got Hooked on Work . She has held senior reporting and editing roles in Australian journalism, including a stint as The Australian ’s London correspondent, and is currently Managing Editor of The Australian .

Copies of Madeleine: a Life of Madeleine St John can be signed by Helen Trinca on the night and will be available for purchase at the Event Price of $30 (RRP$32.95).

Copies of Madeleine St John’s novels, Women in Black, Stairway to Paradise, Pure Clear Light and The Essence of the Thing will also be available for purchase.

This free event will be at the Webb Lecture Theatre on Thursday May 16 from 6:30pm. Please RSVP through the Westerly Centre .

Media references

Paul Clifford