Kristina Olsson’s new book Shell set in Sydney around the time the Opera House was built
AUSTRALIAN author Kristina Olsson has set her fifth book in Sydney in 1965 amid turbulent events surrounding the building of the Sydney Opera House.
Books
Don't miss out on the headlines from Books. Followed categories will be added to My News.
LIKE a melody that resonates long after the song ends, Shell is one of those rare books that lingers in the reader’s mind weeks after finishing the final page.
Kristina Olsson has set her fifth book in Sydney in 1965, intertwining two fascinating narratives of the city’s history with skill.
Pearl Keough is a tough-talking idealistic young newspaper reporter, a woman decades before her time, who is relegated to the women’s section as punishment for her involvement in the anti-Vietnam War movement.
Axel Lindquist is a Swedish sculptor newly-arrived to work on the building of the Sydney Opera House. He hopes to create a piece of art worthy of its controversial architect Jorn Utzon.
As the two are buffered by the political storms around them, they collide into one another and come to terms with their past. This bold story is beautifully crafted and wonderfully evocative of an Australian past that is still relevant today.
The award-winning Olsson, who lives in Brisbane, shares her inspirations:
How did you come up with the two narratives?
“I would never have consciously chosen to use the Opera House as a background to a story; I think it chose me. It turned out to be a wonderful lens through which to look at Australia at a certain time in history. And I have been preoccupied with the idea of conscription and the anti-war movement for a long time. I wanted to use both to look at the question of taking a side, or not taking a side.”
You are scathing of the parochialism that led to Jorn Utzon being hounded out. Do you think that attitude has changed?
“We only have to look at the recent controversy around advertising on the Opera House sails to see that some things haven’t changed at all. There is still a mistrust of art, of beauty. They must be brought down to size, flattened out, made utilitarian.”
Pearl was sidelined as a female journalist in the 1960s. Did you experience anything like that in your time as a newspaper reporter?
“I wasn’t specifically banished to the women’s section, but there were many times when I was overlooked for jobs because I was female. Paternalism was alive and well and as we have seen with the Me Too movement, still is.
What do you think about women in journalism today?
“Women are doing a spectacular job in this country and overseas. Deeply analytical, fearless, compassionate and highly respected. But I suspect some of them have had to fight their way through to this place and fight stereotypes about the way they should look and sound.”
And what would Pearl be like today?
“She’d be writing fearless stories about the kids on Nauru, about our shocking record with indigenous people, with our penchant for imprisoning the poor. She’d be taking it up to those in power.”
How do you find the writing process? Is there a bit of Axel in you, in that you almost have no choice but to create?
“Each book takes me about five years. It takes me a while to work out the questions I’m asking. Yes, there is definitely a bit of Axel in me. I feel that writing chose me. But there’s a bit of Pearl in me too.”
Do you have another book brewing?
“Yes, but it’s back to non-fiction. This one examines what lies beneath us, the geology and landscape and history that inform our identities. It begins with the Brisbane Tuff, the volcanic rock that runs beneath the inner city, beneath the land I grew up on. When my son moved to Christchurch it made me think, will my grandchildren’s dreams be more precarious, will they look for cracks and splits in the world, because they’re growing up on land that might erupt beneath them at any time?”
* Shell, $35, Simon & Schuster, is out now
Originally published as Kristina Olsson’s new book Shell set in Sydney around the time the Opera House was built
‘Don’t try this at home’: Risk rewarded
Joanne Fedler defied inner fear and official advice, to take a risk at a time of personal loss – and made an extraordinary discovery that brought back her gift for storytelling.
‘What happened? Who is guilty?’
Four girls disappear from a school camp and a male teacher goes after them. The girls return – but the man does not. Wouldn’t you be asking hard questions, writes Nikki Gemmell.