Wednesday 22 November. Early start again to drive down to the Gold Coast - parts of which are a combination of Brighton, Blackpool and Bournemouth, and which is home to a large number of ex-pats who have decided to spend their retirement in the warmth of Queensland.
My first interview is with Trevor Jackson on Radio ABC Coast FM, and I am met at the station entrance by two young employees who have recently married. I am always touched when someone brings the entire set of books for me to sign, but I was even more surprised to find that they were taking their honeymoon in Brisbane so they could attend the first Test. The sheer love of cricket in this country is probably unequalled anywhere in the world.
From there, on to another literary lunch, hosted by Angus & Robertson, and MC'd by Michael Jacobson, a distinguished author, journalist and, I found out over lunch, the producer of the show Dirty Dancing, which is having such success in the West End. Also at the table, one of those octogenarians who has retired to the Gold Coast - Max Bygraves. He may be an old man, but he still has tremendous verve and spirit.
On returning to Brisbane from the Gold Coast I called in at Philip Bacon's new gallery (2 Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley) in order to see the Arthur Boyd. The Boyd was good, but I didn't feel I wanted to part with that sort of money for this particular picture. However, the new gallery is among the finest commercial galleries I have seen anywhere in the world, including New York, London and Paris. I recommend a visit from anyone who finds themselves in Brisbane.
In the evening, I attended a performance of - hold your breath - Menopause The Musical. This show has been playing to packed houses in the suburbs of Australia and America for the past year, and I was curious to see if it is something worth bringing to the West End. The Twelfth Night Theatre holds around 400, and I would estimate that the audience was 95% women between the age of 35-60. I couldn't get to grips with the show, but the audience adored it, and the four performers who sing many well-known songs whose lyrics have been changed, had the audience in fits of giggles. I'm not sure how well it would work in London, but then I was convinced the Vagina Monolgues wouldn't be a hit, so what do I know.
My first interview is with Trevor Jackson on Radio ABC Coast FM, and I am met at the station entrance by two young employees who have recently married. I am always touched when someone brings the entire set of books for me to sign, but I was even more surprised to find that they were taking their honeymoon in Brisbane so they could attend the first Test. The sheer love of cricket in this country is probably unequalled anywhere in the world.
From there, on to another literary lunch, hosted by Angus & Robertson, and MC'd by Michael Jacobson, a distinguished author, journalist and, I found out over lunch, the producer of the show Dirty Dancing, which is having such success in the West End. Also at the table, one of those octogenarians who has retired to the Gold Coast - Max Bygraves. He may be an old man, but he still has tremendous verve and spirit.
On returning to Brisbane from the Gold Coast I called in at Philip Bacon's new gallery (2 Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley) in order to see the Arthur Boyd. The Boyd was good, but I didn't feel I wanted to part with that sort of money for this particular picture. However, the new gallery is among the finest commercial galleries I have seen anywhere in the world, including New York, London and Paris. I recommend a visit from anyone who finds themselves in Brisbane.
In the evening, I attended a performance of - hold your breath - Menopause The Musical. This show has been playing to packed houses in the suburbs of Australia and America for the past year, and I was curious to see if it is something worth bringing to the West End. The Twelfth Night Theatre holds around 400, and I would estimate that the audience was 95% women between the age of 35-60. I couldn't get to grips with the show, but the audience adored it, and the four performers who sing many well-known songs whose lyrics have been changed, had the audience in fits of giggles. I'm not sure how well it would work in London, but then I was convinced the Vagina Monolgues wouldn't be a hit, so what do I know.
4 Comments:
Sir,
i read about your new novel , A Prisoner of Birth, in your website.
I am greatly excited about this
Can you pls tell me about the novel and when it will be released?
Alexandra - many thanks, I'm pleased you enjoyed the Prison Diaries. I have no plans for a visit to Canada at the moment, but perhaps in 2008.
Karthik - I can't tell you anymore about 'A Prisoner of Birth' at the moment, but hope to have it finished late next year.
Jeffrey,
2 weeks ago a colleague of mine brought in some books for me to read over Christmas and New Year. I am staying home this time round not travelling, so he knew I would have precious time to read and selected some books for me.
Among 15+ books I got from him I randomly picked up your trilogy - A Prison Diary. It's touching and not easy to reflect on knowing you have been through all this. I won't take your time describing my reflections. Not sure if your travel plans are as far as Baku (a capital of Azerbaijan) where I am currently working for BP, so no chance to see you and your family down here (but if you ever plan - it is a lovely place to explore!). I just want to thank you for deciding to publish your diary and sharing those moments of your life with your reader.
I wish you and your family a lovely time abroad and a Happy New Year.
Natalie Voronina
Human Resources Adviser for Offshore Operations Performance Unit
BP Azerbaijan Strategic Performance Unit
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