‘There’s nothing you will personally lose’: Jane Harrison on The Voice and The Visitors
Australians grappling with The Voice have “nothing to lose personally” from a bold decision, says award-winning writer offering a new take on the traumatic start of the colonial era.
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Jane Harrison has a lot going on in the present and immediate future – but right now, she’s looking to the past.
The award-winning writer has just released her “gut-wrenching” new novel The Visitors, which reimagines the arrival of the First Fleet from a different perspective.
It is also about to be performed in its original form as a play at Sydney Opera House.
Here she talks about her critically-acclaimed yarn, why she’s set out to confound expectations (for example: if you’re expecting doom and gloom, think again) and gives her view on the decision Australians are being asked to make on October 14.
Q. Congratulations on The Visitors. It is an extraordinary read. How would you describe it in an elevator pitch?
A. The Visitors takes us back to the events of 26 January 1788, with the arrival of the First Fleet, but the point of view is entirely that of the seven Aboriginal men who have gathered on the shore to debate how they will respond to these aliens. Will they shoo them away, or welcome them, in line with their protocols?
Q. Who are your key characters?
A. There is no one protagonist in the book – instead there are seven main characters, each very different. Gordon is the general, Albert the engineer, Joseph the healer, Gary the bureaucrat, Nathaniel the “tradie”, and Walter the philosopher, and they are joined by a new initiate, Lawrence. I didn’t want to portray my characters as ‘noble savages’. They are the elder statesmen of their clan groups – knowledgeable and clever and sometimes funny.
Q. The story has been described by one critic as “witty, tense, and gut-wrenching”. Do you agree and was that your intention?
A. The response so far to the book has been amazingly positive. The storyline is tense – because the clock is ticking with more and more boats arriving in the harbour, they need to make a decision, and it needs to be unanimous, but I am glad readers also find it witty. I had a lot of fun coming up with some of the plays on language.
Q. What would you like readers to take away?
A. A few things. A sense of when First Nation people talk about being connected to country, what that looks like and the tremendous knowledge that underpins that. Secondly, a view of the events of January 26 1788 that they might not have considered before. A sense of what has been lost for Aboriginal people in the ensuing colonisation of our country. But also a sense of what we have retained – our sense of humour, our knowledges, our protocols that are still relevant today.
Q. You have inserted some captivating elements that might confound certain preconceptions or expectations – for example, descriptions of clothing. What was the thinking behind that?
A. I wanted these characters to be looked at as the senators of their time. Having them dressed in western clothes means there’s no distance between the reader and the characters. They are human beings, plain and simple.
Q. Despite the serious topic, The Visitors has an enormous sense of warmth and playfulness. Did you find that difficult to achieve, knowing the confronting real history and its legacy?
A. I think Aboriginal people, without grossly stereotyping, have a strong sense of humour that I wanted to reflect. The laughter always dominates whenever we get together. So even in a serious topic like this there is room for lighter moments and I had fun with it. But hopefully the story is also poignant and gut-wrenching. I try to engage with the reader’s emotions as a writer.
Q. Your descriptions of nature, fauna and flora make me want to head out and tramp the shoreline where it took place. Did you scout the locations yourself?
A. It’s fantastic that you have responded to the imagery of the natural world in the book. I live in Melbourne but during the writing process I did come up to Sydney and walked – and caught the ferry – along some of the routes the characters travel. I also did lots of research on the animal and plant life of the area. I was astounded to read that there were cassowaries in the Sydney area, for example.
Q. You also wrote The Visitors as a play, which survived a brush with Covid. Tell us a little about that.
A. I began writing the play in 2011 so it took quite a few years before it made it to the stage but then in 2020 I was blessed to have the play produced by Moogahlin Theatre at the Sydney Festival. It won the Sydney Critics Award for best new Australian production. Then Covid happened and all tours were off. Fortunately, Sydney Theatre Company and Moogahlin have co-produced this new version and it will be staged at The Opera House as part of its 50th year anniversary. So I am very fortunate to have a new production directed by the inimitable Wesley Enoch.
Q. You are a descendant of the Muruwari people of northwest NSW and your Indigenous heritage has played a significant role throughout your career. Is it something you were keenly aware of while growing up or did you come to it later?
A. Growing up I always knew I was Aboriginal, that my mum was. I just accepted it. But it took me until I was an adult to explore what that meant, and why I felt connected. It’s a journey – a lifelong one.
Q. With the coming referendum for The Voice, Australia stands at a historic crossroads. What would you say to anyone still undecided?
A. I would say that there’s nothing to be afraid of in voting Yes. The Voice is about a conversation. There’s nothing you will personally lose from us having a place in the Constitution and a voice at the table. As a country we can’t keep doing what we have been doing any more. And We have been courageous before – in 1967 – and we can be mature as a country now to allow First Nations people to speak for themselves.
The Visitors, by Jane Harrison, will be published by HarperCollins on August 30. It is our new Book Of The Month, which means you get it for 30 per cent off the RRP with the code VISITORS at Booktopia. T & Cs: Ends 30-Sep-2023. Only on ISBN 9781460761984. Not with any other offer.
Will you be reading The Visitors or seeing the play? Come tell us at The Sunday Book Club group on Facebook.
Originally published as ‘There’s nothing you will personally lose’: Jane Harrison on The Voice and The Visitors
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