Audio from the session: Larger Than Life Stories.
Alison Mau wrote the remarkable story of Liz Roberts, the first New Zealander to undergo full sex-change surgery. Joanne Drayton wrote a New York Times bestselling biography of Anne Perry, a celebrated international crime-writer but notoriously also one of the young women found guilty of murdering her girlfriend's mother in Christchurch in 1954. Julie Glamuzina tells the haunting story of Peter Williams, a woman arrested for marrying another woman in 1945. What do you tell? How do you tell it? And crucially, what gets left on the cutting-room floor?
The session is chaired by Carole Beu.
Audio and Text Download mp3 Download HQ mp3Plain Text (for Gen AI)A special thank you to the organisers and participants for allowing us to record this event.
Summary
This summary explores the recording of the event "Larger Than Life Stories - Same Same But Different" at Auckland University of Technology, featuring discussions with Alison Mau, Joanne Drayton, and Julie Glamuzina, who have written biographies about remarkable individuals. The session delves into each author's approach to choosing their subject, the process of writing someone else's life story, and the implications of retelling such narratives.
Alison Mau shared insights about the biography she wrote of Liz Roberts, touching upon the struggles and challenges of conveying someone else's life story authentically. One of the most critical aspects of her writing process was to capture Liz's voice, ensuring that the narrative maintained Liz's pragmatic and spare manner of speaking. The author described the book not just as a recount of New Zealand history but also as a work that aimed to engage and hold the reader's attention till the end.
Joanne Drayton spoke about transitioning from writing art history to tackling crime and murder mysteries, particularly the works of Anne Perry and Ngaio Marsh. Drayton's fascination with crime led to the biography of Anne Perry, who was once involved in a notorious murder case. Drayton emphasizes the importance of caring for the subject's story and maintaining integrity while portraying a person's life authentically, regardless of the nature of their past.
Julie Glamuzina's journey to writing the biography of Iris Florence Peter Williams began from a historical perspective, seeking to understand and write lesbian histories. Glamuzina described the meticulous archival work that went into piecing together the life of someone who lived as a man, including navigating legal documents and personal interviews. The process highlighted the importance of historical context and the choices people made to survive oppressive societal norms.
The event included a discussion on the ethical considerations of biography, such as what to include or omit and how to balance the subject's privacy with historical accuracy. Respect for the subjects and the impact of their stories on modern sensibilities was also a focal point of the conversation. The authors communicated the sense of responsibility they felt in representing someone else's life and the delicate balance between staying true to their narrative while also delivering an engaging and truthful account.
In all, the recording provides a thematic exploration of writing biographies, the relationship between biographers and their subjects, the weight of responsibility in telling another’s life story, and the broader implications these stories have for understanding social and cultural history.
This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.
Tags
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