Germaine Greer

by Christine Wallace

Germaine Greer is one of the opinion-formers of our age, her challenging views constantly provoking us in print and on the small screen. "The Female Eunuch", her first book published in 1970, was hailed by the women's liberation movement and influenced an entire generation. Yet two years earlier Greer had argued that "there is hardly a woman alive who is not deeply attracted to the notion of a husband of the kind extolled by Kate", the rebellious wife subdued in "The Taming of the Shrew". Nearly 30 years later, as Germaine Greer revises what one reviewer called "one of the most eloquent pieces of anarchist propaganda that have appeared in this century", it is fitting to assess the life and work of this complex, compelling intellect. Christine Wallace, an Australian academic familiar with the background in which Germaine Greer grew up, has drawn extensively from candid interviews with Greer's family, friends and former colleagues as well as from her many autobiographical writings. She reveals a courageous, contradictory, often tormented woman, variously (and often simultaneously) scholar, rock stars' groupie, bohemian, lover of cats and gardening, and a feminist who spurned and then yearned for motherhood. An icon of women's liberation yet fiercely competitive and scathing of other women; a swashbuckling adventuress yet often vulnerable and surprisingly passive in her dealings with men; an inveterate self-dramatist yet incorrigibly honest, Greer has always lived by extremes - and the risks she took have allowed shoals of moderate feminists to swim in her wake. Many followers have been rebuffed by her reckless inconsistency - a quality she shares with Byron, her first literary love, stemming from a rare determination to be true to the moment. This biography puts into context the unhappy childhood, the convent schooling and promiscuous but rigorous university years that shaped Greer's powerful personality and restless intelligence

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Biography, Gender, Contemporary

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid I found this book extremely depressing. I would have liked to know more about Germaine Greer's work but I learnt far too much about her lifestyle and very little about her work. While I do not expect a biographer to paint his/her subject in a consistently good light, Christine Wallace spent a great deal of time discussing Greer's sexual and alcoholic excesses and very little time on her work. I managed to read up to page 147 and then decided that my time left on earth is far too short to waste on it!

[Bob Cat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this biography but found it mealy mouthed and lacking in any sort of good faith reading of Greer's life and work. The writer has a clear agenda and set out to 'prove' it. Unbalanced and unfair. While Greer is a complex woman for sure, this book only makes the author look bad and Greer look like the deliberately misunderstood powerful intellectual she is.

[Alistair Fincher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rambling but interesting read. I just love Germaine Greer's passion for this project she took on.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't doubt Greer would have hated this. Oh wait. Yep. Just looked it up. She did. Seems she responded to the Wallace bio with "hurtful personal attacks". Thing is, The Female Eunuch is a sloppy call to arms for disenfranchised woman to throw off the yoke of absolutely everything (themselves, other women, men, fathers, mothers, property, morals, sexual restrictions of all kind, government, your sleazy boss). It did one thing only and that was to get women angry. This unfocused aggression became fuel for the more productive/coherent/academic among the 2nd wave feminist movement to make traction with their own goals. Greer is no dummy though, she just was never really all that interested in helping a sister out.

Most interesting was her movement through the student rags and libertarian/anarchist groups of Melbourne and Sydney in the 50s and 60s. Reich and Anderson being hugely influential and helping foster a sexual revolution of which Greer was very much a leading spokesperson.

Despite her lovingly critical tone, the Wallace biography really did help humanize Greer for me. She had a rough trot, I guess. Greer has never been afraid to write what she thinks (will shock), even if she fatally contradicts herself a few pages on.

[Zora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christine Wallace is a fearless biographer and Germaine Greer is an untameable subject - which of course makes for a ripper read. I first read this back in the 1990s when it was first released, and when GG was out of favour among third wave feminists. But she’s still here, and contrary and iconoclastic as ever, and I would love an update. At times I found the analysis of Greer rather harsh and cynical but ultimately I trusted the biographer’s obvious intelligence and insight and especially appreciated her knowing and informed take on second wave feminism.

[SJ Willis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting view of GG, although the biographer clearly has their own agenda from the outset and uses the book to highlight GG’s many shortcomings as a 2nd wave feminist.

[Katie Dukovcic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not get past the first chapter. So awful. Just a hater and female misogynist. Super condescending towards germain greer.

[Ange · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn't read like a serious biography.

[ChingyPingy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very hard going - often 5 or 6 new names were introduced in a single paragraph! Very hard to keep track of all the events covered in this book.

[Jacinta Fintan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/4 of the way through I konked out on this book, but I think thats because I found out what I wanted to know about Germaine by the time I was 3/4 of the way through

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A valuable background to Germaine Greer and her writing; especially useful in light of the contemporary media's habit of asking Dr Greer for "feminist" commentary.

[Velvetink]

1 of 21 books for $10. 2/10/12

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling description of the woman's condition, with an universal twist.
No modesty, no boundaries, no time limits. Which is refreshing.

[Alli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter rubbish.