Fiery Tales

From letters to librettos, this collection offers an intimate glimpse at a significant Australian creative partnership

This lively correspondence between celebrated poet Gwen Harwood and renowned composer Larry Sitsky, covering their creation of a series of acclaimed and at times controversial operas, gives an insight into a unique collaboration between two highly gifted Australian artists in the second half of the twentieth century. It brings to life the formation of six groundbreaking operatic works while giving a fascinating glimpse into the very different lives of two important Australian cultural figures.

Introduced by acclaimed biographer and scholar Ann-Marie Priest, these letters, collected together for the first time, reveal a dynamic creative partnership. Each chapter charts the development of a different work and offers historical and biographical context. The portrait that emerges is compelling, propulsive and illuminating, as the tensions and emerging affinities between the two artists set the stage for the creation of great works.