Nadia Wheatley: The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Nadia Wheatley chats with Gabriella about the choices she made while writing the biography of Charmian Clift, one of Australia’s most charismatic writers whose books were often decades ahead of their time.

 Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

• Nadia Wheatley’s reluctance to write Charmian Clift’s biography and the vigorous arm twisting that ultimately resulted in her agreeing to embark on the project.
• Nadia’s reasons for opening the biography with her personal story.
• The meaning behind the book’s title: The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift.
• Why Nadia chose to interpret Clift’s life rather than repeat the mythical representations of earlier biographies.
• The ethical dilemmas Nadia faced when revealing secrets about Clift’s personal life. 
• How Nadia achieved a fine balance between portraying Clift’s conflicting roles as a talented author and wife of a prolific writer; a devoted mother; and a feminist decades ahead of her time.
• The extent to which Nadia believes she accessed the truth of her subject.
• Nadia’s exciting news about publishing an edited version of Charmian Clift’s, The End of the Morning, which includes Clift’s previously unpublished autobiographical novel and thirty of her essays.

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