Twilight of love by robert dessaix the independent. Night letters is an incredibly subtle novel, but its a wise one too. His first fictional work, the epistolary novel night letters, was published in 1996. Born in sydney in 1944, he studied russian language and literature at the australian national university in canberra, where he also taught for some twenty years until joining the abc. Night letters by robert dessaix goodreads share book. Imaging italy through the eyes of contemporary australian.
Robert dessaix is known as a leading broadcaster, for many years the producer and. Robert dessaix night letters rn breakfast abc radio. This conversation is about the thematic and stylistic aspects of night letters. Interweaving incidents from an actual journey with stories of enchantment and passion set in a variety of lands and centuries, robert dessaix leaps from twelfthcentury india to lygon street, melbourne, from the tale of a bogus russian baroness to a diatribe against st anthony of padua, from a bizarre interpretation of casanovas exploits to a. Review of the book night letters by robert dessaix, published by the council of adult education, melbourne, 1998 topics. In these letters, against a rich background of earlier journeys in literature, with dante as his imagined guide, he reflects on what it means to live a good life in the face of death. Travel, identity, mortality in the work of robert dessaix utas eprints. Night letters by robert dessaix 9781925143942 booktopia. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading night letters. Drusilla modjeska got to know dessaix during the editing of night letters.
In todays crazily busy world the importance of making time for leisure is more vital than ever. Not since edmund whites richly evocative nocturnes for the king of naples has a gay novelist infused the. His books range from the personal account of his birth mother, a mothers disgrace, the novel corfu, and books that give accounts of his travels but which are so much more. In more recent years he has also presented radio series on australian public.
As i was saying, dessaixs fifth book of nonfiction, is by no means a small gem of delight. Pleasures of leisure, the dessaix, robert 9780143780052. I had the privilege to access dessaixs notebooks of his journey to italy, which he very kindly allowed me to publish as part of this book. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the night letter, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. He studied at moscow university in the late 1960s and early 1970s and for almost 20 years taught russian language and literature at anu and unsw. Click download or read online button to get night letter book now. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. From 1985 to 1995, after teaching russian language and literature for many years at the australian national university and the university of new south wales, he presented the weekly books and. Dessaix s two previous books, night letters and corfu, were both hybrids partfiction, partmemoir, parttravel writing. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the night letters, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. Robert dessaix is a writer, interviewer, translator and broadcaster.
Night letters by robert dessaix good condition, spine intact pet free and smoke free home pick up petersham cod, 1244734877. Beginning in 1985, dessaix produced and presented the abc radio program books and. Author robert dessaix has been many people over his life. Reading robert dessaixs night letters this paper has developed out of a larger work in progress, which focuses. In fact, i had to do everything within my power not to underline about 90 per cent of the sentences in this book, because so many of them resonated with me. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. Robert dessaix is a writer, translator, broadcaster and occasional essayist. Buy night letters by robert dessaix online at alibris. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. The pleasures of leisure by robert dessaix 9780143780045. Download citation from notebook to novel and from diary to dante. Click to read more about night letters by robert dessaix.
Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals. Night letters by robert dessaix 9781925143942 dymocks. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. It wont appeal to everyone, but i loved its intelligence, its humanity and its bigpicture look at life, so much. Journeying is the structure of the book, in which the narrator writes about his travels from a hotel room in venice. Amazon pay todays deals best sellers mobiles customer service new releases pantry coupons sell computers books amazonbasics baby gift ideas. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. As i was saying by robert dessaix penguin books australia. He describes the journey he has just made across northern italy from switzerland. Through the totality of its various fables and narratives, its conflicts and dramas, as the mans world becomes increasingly colourfilled with characters, struggling as he is struggling with desire for intimacy and escape, for understanding and meaning, for any way to beguile time night letters begins to soar across time and space. Tom jones, a merchant seaman, was already 55 when robert was adopted.
Robert dessaix is a writer of fiction, autobiography and the occasional essay. Robert dessaix is now known more as a writer than as a broadcaster. For twenty nights in a hotel room in venice, a traveler, recently dia. Buy night letters book online at best prices in india on. The letter writer admits that he is, arming myself against the coming of the night, as is writing. Buy night letters by robert dessaix from amazons fiction books store. Robert dessaix was born in sydney and adopted at an early age. Buy night letters book online at low prices in india. Every night for twenty nights in a hotel room in venice, an australian man recently diagnosed with an incurable disease writes home to a friend reflecting on questions of mortality. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. And we constantly talk about paths in life ways, roads, progress, stages and so on all travel metaphors, when you think about it. In times of great physical frailty in the past one was always conscious of the big person, the big intellect being active and present. He paints words on the page that take you on a fantastic journey.
Robert dessaix born 17 february 1944 is an australian novelist, essayist and journalist. Mar 01, 2012 as i was saying is a swirling conversation with the reader on everything from travel to dogs and cats, from sport and swearing to the pleasures of idleness. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Robert dessaix s night letters is a poetic masterpiece. A novel by dessaix, robert and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Night letters ebook by robert dessaix 9781925143959.
A journey through switzerland and italy robert dessaix, author, igor miazmov. The thing i love about robert is he is so utterly himself, so unlike anyone else. Praise for night letters by robert dessaix dessaix writes with great elegance, with passion, compassion and sly wit. Robert dessaix was born in sydney and adopted at an early age by tom and jean jones, after which he was known as robert jones. Robert dessaix books list of books by author robert dessaix. A collection of reference materials for most books listed above research notes, letters from readers, drafts, notebooks and so on is archived and available to readers in.
Robert dessaix has 24 books on goodreads with 3064 ratings. His first book was his autobiography, a mothers disgrace. A journey through switzerland and italy edited and. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Not since edmund whites richly evocative nocturnes for the king of naples has a gay novelist infused the themes of love and death with so fine a lyric sensibility. Jan 01, 1996 every second book you read is about some kind of journey, really, isnt it. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Every second book you read is about some kind of journey, really, isnt it. For 20 nights in a hotel room in venice, a traveler, recently diagnosed with an incurable illness, writes a letter home to a friend. The book, of which the above speech is a part, is structured around an essay or speech, followed by dessaixs further musings on the subject.
These letters, which are not addressed to anyone in particular but are effectively you, the reader, are filled with roberts wideranging thoughts on travel, love, religion and mortality. And so, night letters the book i wrote about that hiv diagnosis. Jul 31, 2015 author robert dessaix has been many people over his life and is shameless due to a lack of family. One sunday night in sydney, robert dessaix collapses on a pavement in darlinghurst, and is helped to his hotel by a kind young man wearing a tshirt that says fuck you. Robert dessaix is today one of australias most acclaimed novelists and literary commentators. The thing i love about robert is he is so utterly himself, so unlike. The book comprises a series of 20 letters written on consecutive nights by an australian man staying in a venice hotel. A journey through switzerland and italy by robert dessaix 1997, hardcover, revised at the best online prices at ebay. The author is robert dessaix, the essayist, broadcaster and literary. Robert dessaixs guide to work and play in the twentyfirst century. Stricken with an incurable disease, an australian man writes a series of letters from italy to a friend back home. Robert dessaix is known as a leading broadcaster, for many years the. From 1985 to 1995, after teaching russian language and literature at anu and unsw, he presented the weekly books and writing program on abcs radio national. Night letters by dessaix, robert and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Robert dessaix is bestknown as a writer of literary nonfiction memoirs, essays, biography and autobiography, but has also published two novels, several short stories and one play. Dessaixs latest book, and so forth pan macmillan, 1998, comprises short fiction, essays, journalism, and talks written and presented over a decade. Robert dessaix is a wellknown broadcaster, critic, author and translator. To paraphrase this novel, though, is to deny its rich complexity. Robert dessaix, australian author memoirs, travel writing. Mar 16, 2008 the man, who is named robert, has been diagnosed with an incurable illness and while the disease is never named one gets the impression that it is hiv. From 1985 to 1995, after teaching russian language and literature for many years at the australian national university and the university of new south wales, he presented the weekly books and writing program on abc radio national. The words aptly describe the situation in which dessaix s anonymous protagonist finds himself. His recent works include the collection of essays, and so forth, and the novels night letters and corfu. Dessaix writes with great elegance, with passion, compassion and sly wit. Night letters a novel for twenty nights in a hotel room in venice a traveler recently diagnosed with an incurable illness writes a letter home to a friend he describes the kaleidoscopic journey he has just made across n. Jun 07, 2017 highly commended for the faw christina stead award, the age book of the year and the national book council cub banjo awards adopted as a baby towards the end of world war ii, robert dessaix grew up haunted by a shaft of silence surrounding the question of his natural mothers identity, and of his own identity and sexuality. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. Winner of the australian literature society gold medal shortlisted for the miles franklin literary award every night for.
The author is robert dessaix, the essayist, broadcaster and literary commentator. Night letter download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Read night letters by robert dessaix available from rakuten kobo. Robert dessaix is one of australias finest writers, as this sad, funny and moving novel proves, again john banville robert dessaix is some kind of national treasure because he represents with a kind of helpmannlike elegance and virtuosity the side of our sensibilities we publicly repress. The australian booksellers association aba promotes the interests of booksellers in australia. Punctuated at regular intervals by talks dessaix has given on a wide range of subjects, as well as by some of his most incisive journalism, the conversation invites the reader to join a. The association has its origins in state associations formed early in the 20th century, which later amalgamated into a federal association. Here, he plays to his strengths by dropping the fiction in favour of. Robert dessaix was the producer and presenter of abc radio nationals books and writing program from 1985 to 1995.
1206 1437 329 1056 782 854 131 787 400 51 1219 1463 902 1652 438 1645 1090 803 28 218 786 1119 1016 1665 561 492 564 620 846 1241 890 562 256 910 989 349 1205