By Melissa Burns
The author of The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift (HarperCollins 2000), Nadia Wheatley is a distinguished writer with over 40 years of experience in publishing award-winning works across fiction, history, and biography. Her passion for storytelling and historical exploration has led to diverse and impactful work. In the documentary Life Burns High, Nadia captures the charisma and appeal of journalist Charmian Clift. The film delves into what made this outspoken, unconventional free spirit so adored by readers of her weekly column in the Sydney Morning Herald.
A special True Story Festival screening of Life Burns High will be held on Friday, 15 November, 6:30-8:30pm. Following the screening, film co-producer Sue Milliken will join Nadia and Caroline Baum to discuss her insights and reflections on Charmian Clift’s enduring legacy. Tickets are available via Humanitix.
What inspired you to write the book you'll be speaking about at the True Story Festival?
I didn’t set out to write a biography of Charmian Clift: I was bequeathed the project by her elder son, Martin Johnston, with whom I lived in Sydney and Greece in the 1970s. Published in 2000, the book won a couple of major awards, then seemed to disappear. But 55 years after her death, Clift is having an amazing revival – evident in new publications of her work, and in the documentary Life Burns High.
What is it about author Charmian Clift that keeps attracting new readers?
Charmian Clift (1923-1969) was ahead of her time as a woman, and as a writer. In her ‘sneaky little revolutions’ (as Clift called her weekly newspaper column pieces) she supported the rights of women and ‘migrants’, called for social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, opposed conscription and the war in Vietnam, acknowledged Australia’s role in the Asia-Pacific, fought censorship, called for a local film industry — and much more. In doing so, she set a new benchmark for the form of the essay in Australian literature.
What was your role in the documentary Life Burns High?
About 10 years ago, filmmaker Rachel Lane approached me with the idea of making a film about Charmian Clift, and she subsequently bought the rights to my biography. I was deeply impressed by the dedication, passion and integrity of Rachel Lane and her co-producer, Sue Milliken, and so I was happy to be available throughout the project as what Rachel calls ‘a walking encyclopaedia of all things Clift’. It is their film.
Where do you get your ideas?
I never set out to find ideas for books (whether fiction or nonfiction, and whether for adults or children), but occasionally a house or a piece of land will suddenly seem to speak to me. When that happens, I start drawing little maps and writing character-notes directly into the maps. Once I have characters interacting with a place, I have a plot.
Your all-time favourite non-fiction book?
The Making of the English Working Class by E.P. Thompson changed my life. Published in 1963, this early example of ‘history from below’ sought to recognise the forgotten people of the Industrial Revolution, and to restore to them their dignity and their agency. After reading this book in 1968 – a time when I myself was involved in radical movements – I switched from studying English Literature to History.
To be held at Coledale Community Hall from November 15-17, True Story Festival will showcase of some of the best creative non-fiction writing in Australia today. This year’s theme, The State of Us, recognises what a complex and at times bruising year we’ve had. Artistic Director Caroline Baum has curated a series of conversations that prompts us to examine what we have in common rather than what divides us. Full program here.