Ben Apfelbaum

DYMOCKS LITERARY LUNCH : ROBYN DAVIDSON : UNFINISHED WOMAN

 

Philip Clark and Robyn Davidson

Robyn Davidson was a popular guest of a recent Dymocks Literary Lunch, judging by the size of the audience.

As a frequent guest interviewer, Philip Clark skilfully drew out from Davidson the more salient aspects of  her memoir entitled UNFINISHED WOMAN.

Best known for her epic solo trek with camels across a brutal interior, this part of her life was documented in her book ‘Tracks’.

‘Tracks’ was made in to a film starring Mia Wasikowska.  Davidson disliked the film because it made her look too grumpy but loved Mia’s portrayal and became quite good friends with Mia.

As a result this aspect of her life is quickly sketched over in  her memoir.

The books starts with her mother’s suicide and its effects on Davidson. Davidson also realised that she was at a similar stage of life when her mother did her shocking act. As she reflected on her mother’s death she also reflected on  other aspects of her past and felt compelled to write this memoir.

At the time of her mother’s death Robyn’s father did not know how to cope with a ten year ol daughter. As a resut she was sent to a spinster aunt who also did not know how to deal with a young child, including getting rid of Davidson’s dog. There was virtually no love or tenderness from this aunt.

As soon as she could Davidson felt the country town where  she lived and found herself in Sydney.

Responding to an advertisement she found herself working at the tables of one of Sydney’s then underground casinos. She also found herself being involved with Sydney University’s ‘Push’, whose membership comprised the likes of Clive James and Germaine Greer,

Following in the footsteps of these people she found herself going to Great Britain which, at that time, seemed to be the English speaking capital of the world of literature.

Doris Lessing had a passionate fan in Davidson. In  a bold move Davidson wrote to Lessing who was so charmed  by Davidson’s letter that she invited her to visit.

Due to a lack  of funds Davidson lived in a squalid flat which appalled Lessing that she invited Davidson to stay with her.

Many luminous literary figures came to Lessing’s house including Salmon Rushdie.

Davidson had a passionate affair  with Rushdie, which ended suddenly but without regret on her part.

After her Tracks adventure she became interested in nomadic tribes and found herself in the Himalayas where she met the then  Indian Tourist Minister and Rajput aristoctrat Narendra  Singh Bhati.  Upon a return visit she fell passionately in love with him and lived with him in India for twenty years apart from her forays in to other parts of the world searching her lifelong interest in nomadic tribes which resulted in several books about the subjects of her research.

Sydney has been her home for the last ten or so years and to her surprise she is doing up her apartment.

When asked if Sydney was the last stop on her adventurous journey, she stated that she did not think so. Her restless and bold spirit  means that only when the distant future has been reached we will then know that she is no longer an ‘unfinished woman’.

Many in the audience and at her book signing remarked about her fearlessness combined with an inquisitive mind would plunge herself in to the unknown. One could tell that  some of them wished they had Davidson’s ‘chutzpah’.  In response, Davidson modestly replied that it was just her and more than being bold and some sort of superwoman or Lara Croft,  she felt extremely fortunate.

Text and photos by Ben Apfelbaum

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.