On the evening of Monday 11 November, Paul Genoni and Tanya Dalziell shared an insightful conversation with Susan Midalia.On the evening of Monday 11 November, we celebrated the non-fiction award winners of the 2019 Prime Minister’s Literary Award with writers Paul Genoni and Tanya Dalziell in conversation with Susan Midalia.

Half The Perfect World: Writers, Dreamers and Drifters on Hydra, 1955-1964 tells the story of the post-war community on the Greek island of Hydra. It included Leonard Cohen and other artists and writers, such as the Australian literary couple, Charmian Clift and George Johnston. Drawing on previously unseen letters, manuscripts and diaries, and richly illustrated by the photographs of LIFE magazine photo-journalist James Burke, this book reveals the private lives and relationships of the Hydra expatriates. It charts the promise of a creative life that drew them to the island, and documents the fracturing of the community as it came under pressure from personal ambitions and wider social changes.

Listen to their conversation below.

Part 1 – Paul Genoni and Tanya Dalziell in Conversation

Part 2 – Paul Genoni and Tanya Dalziell in Conversation