Spending a week in Perth was a pleasant reminder of the tremendous effort that Australians, in the main, are putting into keeping Australia as Covid 19 free as possible. Masks are now mandatory in the Canberra and Perth airports, and on Qantas flights, unless eating or drinking.
An interesting observation in the city of Perth was the pedestrian ‘bump’ to change the traffic lights.
Interview : Kamala Harris
Watched Kamala Harris ‘Making History’, a CNN Special Report, 17th January 2021. I’ll be writing a review of The Truths We hold: An American Journey, which also looks at Harris’ life.
However, accustomed to my daily serve of MSNBC, which this week would have had the newest stories on the first days of the Biden Presidency, I felt rather deprived of political news. Fortunately politics and literature mix, as I found when I met with West Australian author, Gordon d’Venables to talk about his recently published novel.
Chat with Gordon d’Venables
All was not lost while I was away from American politics. Feminist politics, funding questionable activity through business enterprises with acceptable names, and the good old hero with a cause were on the agenda when I spent a delightful afternoon talking with West Australian author, Gordon d’ Venables. His balcony, complete with exotic foliage, provided an excellent environment talking about his new novel, with its settings and references to a range of different locations, including Thailand, Singapore, Russia, and Australia.
D’Venables has just published The Medusa Image (Vanguard Press, 2020) and I was keen to hear about the background to the novel. During the conversation it became clear that a new novel is in progress, and of course I was also curious about that as well. Would Curtis, the six foot four (in old terms as d’Venables says) hero of The Medusa Image resurface? Will the theme that d’Venables adopted so ably in The Media’s Image, his concern with the issue of domestic violence continue to be forefront of the adventures of Curtis? I was thwarted by his reticence about divulging any information on his new venture. So, I have no answer to the longevity of Curtis in d’Venables’ imagination. But, what we have is certainly intriguing. Curtis has a background in the army, his superior skills drawing him into the intelligence service, and in that capacity being the recipient of direction from Frenchy whose scepticism becomes a gritty reminder of the difficulties Curtis has in performing his commitment to ensuring prominent women’s safety against organised misogyny.
It was fun to discuss d’Venable’s enthusiasm for detailing the amazing meals his characters are served. Food was a fascinating and recurring topic, in our conversations and in the novel. ‘West Australian crayfish tails, banana prawns from the Gulf of Carpentaria, Moreton Bay bugs, Kimberly scampi, Shark Bay scallops and Coffin Bay oysters’ are devoured by the elusive businessman, Wallace of Green Solutions Limited with his secret control over numerous hidden business entities. Thai food vendors selling ‘deep-fried crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, bamboo worms, mole crickets’ are observed by Curtis while pondering the activities of the elusive Nelson, and crab rice is served to him and his informant, Rat, when arranging their plans and investigations into the funding of attacks against prominent women.
Research, as for so many writers, has been one of d’Venables’ loves in writing his novel. Food fascinated me, but there is so much more, with the historical research associated with the title, the financial and intelligence operations and all the work that has gone into making the horror of domestic violence a resonating theme. Seeing ‘behind the novel’ was truly a mixture of feelings.
One last question was whether he had he thought about a film? Evidently I am not alone in that query – something d’ Venables was happy to divulge! The Medusa Image would indeed make a great film.
The ‘Mighty Collie River’, which featured strongly in d’Venables’ conversation, can be glimpsed beyond the bridge. I wondered whether the glimpse of ‘might’ could be symbolic of Curtis and his crusade to pursue a worthy political agenda. Whether it is Curtis or another fighter for a social cause I’ll be keen to read the next novel.
A short visit to the Western Australian Art Gallery
Robin's Room 