High Valley

by Charmian Clift and George Johnston

Before their years on the Greek Island of Hydra, their well-documented friendship with celebrated singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, and their literary celebrity, Charmian Clift and George Johnston collaborated on High Valley, a mystery set in the Himalayas. It won them The Sydney Morning Herald Literary Competition in 1948, and was first published in 1949.

Charmian Clift’s subsequent works include the autobiographical portraits Peel Me a Lotus (1959) and Mermaid Singing (1956), and the novel Walk to the Paradise Gardens (1960), which is also in the Untapped Collection. George Johnston’s novels include the trilogy, My Brother Jack (1964), winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1964, Clean Straw for Nothing (1969), winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1969, and A Cartload of Clay (1971). In 1970, Johnston was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to literature.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

Reviews

[Lisandra Linde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book that started it all. After High Valley won the Sydney Morning Herald novel award in 1948, Clift and Johnston used the prize money to kick start their European Odyssey.

The book itself is filled with the lush descriptions typical of Clift's prose, blended with a bleak and slightly pervy quality that screams pure Johnston. It's an interesting collaborative work, shedding light on how the two authors worked together and foreshadowing the kind of stories they would tell on their own after they ceased collaboration years later.

The story itself is interesting, if simple. As a romance it's pretty bare bones. As a discussion of faith, culture and philosophy it's a much richer piece.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly poetic descriptions of people and