Opera, wit and wonderful gossip: a hidden literary treasure unearthed

By Priscilla Roberts

What do you get when one of Australia's most mischievous poets and one of its most celebrated composers spend 30 years exchanging letters?

According to CQUniversity academic Dr Ann-Marie Priest, the answer is equal parts artistic brilliance, friendship, humour and the occasional juicy piece of gossip.

Dr Priest's latest book, Fiery Tales: The Correspondence of Gwen Harwood and Larry Sitsky, brings together for the first time the remarkable letters exchanged between acclaimed Australian poet Gwen Harwood and renowned composer Larry Sitsky as they collaborated on six groundbreaking operas from the 1960s through to the 1990s.

Published by Monash University Publishing, the collection offers readers a front-row seat to one of Australia's most fascinating creative partnerships.

"These letters are a delight," Dr Priest said.

"They're full of jokes, observations, gossip, frustrations, breakthroughs and moments of extraordinary creativity. 

"You can watch ideas taking shape in real time as Gwen and Larry worked together, often entirely by letter.

"It's a rare opportunity to see how major artistic works come into being, but it's also a story about friendship and collaboration across decades."

A senior lecturer at CQUniversity, Dr Priest is already recognised as one of Australia's leading Gwen Harwood scholars. 

Her acclaimed biography, My Tongue Is My Own: A Life of Gwen Harwood, won the 2023 National Biography Award and the 2024 Magarey Medal for Biography.

For Fiery Tales, Dr Priest spent years bringing together correspondence scattered across archives, providing historical context, explanatory notes and introductions that guide readers through the development of each opera.

"My role was a little like being a literary detective," she said.

"I had the privilege of piecing together conversations that stretched across 30 years and helping tell the story behind the story.

"Sometimes the letters are laugh-out-loud funny. Other times they're deeply revealing about the artistic process. Together, they paint a vivid picture of two brilliant and very different personalities."

The book takes its title from Harwood and Sitsky's comic opera Fiery Tales and coincides with the work's 50th anniversary. 

The correspondence reveals the creative chemistry, tensions and mutual respect that shaped some of Australia's most daring musical works.

Fiery Tales: The Correspondence of Gwen Harwood and Larry Sitsky is available now through Monash University Publishing.