The Laureate And The Word Girl (Excerpt)

Synopsis:

It is 13 February, 1978, at the home ofPatrick White, Australia’s only winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

His dinner guest is Elizabeth Harrower, an Australian author who wrote a string of four highly acclaimed novels over the decade ending in 1966, but has not published another book since.  The occasion is her 50th birthday, 5 days earlier.  It also happens to be the day of the Hilton Hotel bombing in Sydney.

For years, White has encouraged, urged, goaded, bullied Harrower into writing another novel, all to no avail.  But has his mentorship aided her in overcoming her ‘writer’s block’, or is it the very thing standing in the way?

All of her work displays a profound understanding of the dynamics of power, particularly between the sexes and yet, within this one relationship, she has been unable to convert understanding into action.

‘The Laureate And The Word Girl’ is a fascinating insight into the complex relationship between two of Australia’s literary giants.

Character Breakdown:

The play is a 2-hander:  1 female, 1 male
ELIZABETH HARROWER 50
PATRICK WHITE  65

Running-time:  85 minutes.

Production History:  Not yet produced.

Excerpt available to download for free.