We
caught up with her to talk about her recent book Blubberland and to hear some views
that will be canvassed by her at this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival.
Is Blubberland
your frst book?
No.
My frst book was a monograph on the architect Glenn Murcutt, before he won the
Pritzker Prize. It was called Glenn Murcutt: Tree Houses, published in London by
Phaidon in 1993 and launched by then-Prime Minister Paul Keating. Blubberland is my second book.
Hopefully there won’t be a 15-year gap before the next one.
What motivated you to write the book Blubberland?
Curiosity,
love, terror.
What is the central premise to Blubberland and what do you suggest as a solution?
It’s
probably less central premise than core belief, and it’s this: that humans are
capable of extraordinary nobility, as well as basic primate behaviour, and our tendency
to settle for comfortable mediocrity instead is a cop-out that now threatens
our very survival.
I’m
not sure that solution is the word, but I reckon human creativity holds the key
to our survival and hinges on our capacity to connect with the point where beauty,
truth and love converge.
What do you believe
is the key to happiness?
If
only I knew… but it seems to me that
happiness is more a by-product than a goal.
Losing
yourself in some greater enterprise is more likely to bring happiness than
having – or even achieving – everything you want.
In a perfect world
how would we all live at home? How would the modern Sydneysider live?
Perfect
worlds, bah humbug. A perfect world is a contradiction in terms, since
imperfection is an essential part of being human, and staying interested. Even thinking
about perfection bores me. But I believe we will, all, be happier and more
fruitful if we can fnd our way to wanting less and giving, doing more.
What do you believe
Sydney 2030 will look like? What would you like it to look like?
I
think it’s less about how it looks than how it feels, which in my imagination
is tight, leafy, highly textured and buzzing with creative ferment.
You
can catch Elizabeth at the Sydney
Writers’ Festival on Friday May 23 at 10am and 1pm, and on Sunday May 25 at
1pm.
Source:
South Sydney Herald May 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au