Sydney: A biography

by Louis Nowra

In Sydney, acclaimed playwright and writer Louis Nowra – author of Kings Cross and Woolloomooloo – expands his gaze to explore the energy, beauty, vulgarity, dynamism and pulsating sense of self-importance of his adopted city. This big, bustling portrait of Sydney is told through a cast of criminals and premiers, ordinary folk, entertainers, artists, thieves and visionaries. Along with its people Nowra surveys the city’ s landscape, its architecture, and its global identity. And as Sydney’ s history unfolds throughout the twentieth century and beyond, Nowra revels in its neon lights, music, skyscrapers, sense of optimism and the many disparate elements that shape Sydneysiders’ view of themselves.

496 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Louis Nowra (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. His most significant plays are Così, Byzantine Flowers, Summer of the Aliens, Radiance, and The Golden Age. In 2007 he completed the The Boyce Trilogy for Griffin Theatre Company, consisting of The Woman with Dog's Eyes, The Marvellous Boy and The Emperor of Sydney. Many of his plays have been filmed.[1]
He was born as Mark Doyle in Melbourne. He changed his name to Louis Nowra in the early 1970s. He studied at Melbourne's La Trobe University without earning a degree. In his memoir, The Twelfth of Never, Nowra claimed that he left the course due to a conflict with his professor on Patrick White's The Tree of Man. He worked in several jobs and lived an itinerant lifestyle until the mid-1970s when his plays began to attract attention.
His radio plays include Albert Names Edward, The Song Room, The Widows and the five part The Divine Hammer aired on the ABC in 2003.[2]
In March 2007, Nowra published a controversial book on violence in Aboriginal communities, Bad Dreaming.
Nowra has been studied extensively in Veronica Kelly's work The Theatre of Louis Nowra.
He resides in Sydney with his wife, author Mandy Sayer.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't a typically academic work, because it does not need to be to achieve the authors' intent. Nowra is a successful playwright; his creativity is expressed in a very personal style and unconventional approaches to his subject matter.

A subject rich in History, and stories. Nowra introduces us to characters of all stripes and backgrounds who create the events described by the author. History, economics, literature, demographics, culture, customs, architecture, politics, sports, crime, originality, conflicts, constant and sometimes surprising evolution—it's all there. Australia has gone from an Aboriginal land to a penal colony, an imperial colony, a federation of colonies, a Dominion that finally became an independent and modern nation. Sydney, where a quarter of the population lives, has experienced all of this evolution, often as a driving force behind trends and a national symbol of modern Australia. Nowra brings all this to life in a magnificent fresco of colours, with its dark spaces, and above all it introduces us to the diversity of cultures that cement Australian identity.

[Taye Taiwo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy enough read. It contain a series of vignettes which draw together local history and the author’s memories and opinions. This is not a historical biography with extensive sourcing. A bit flimsy but easy to read and has a great cover.