Peter Mathers at home, 2004

Peter Mathers at home with his books, June, 2004

The Study

Podcast No.2: Interview with Peter Mathers

by Craig Robertson

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Podcast No.2: Peter Mathers (12.1 Mb mpeg4; 50 minutes)

The late writer and artist: Peter was a writer of novels, plays and short stories, winning the Miles Franklin award in 1967 for his novel Trap. Later in life he took up art as well, holding sculpture exhibitions. This interview was recorded a few months before his death in 2004. This interview © Copyright Peter Mathers & Craig Robertson, 2004. Obituaries for Peter Mathers were published in Overland, Winter 2005 (Denis Moore, Craig Robertson), and The Age, 24 November 2004 (John Timlin).
Music in this podcast includes extracts from the following recordings, courtesy of Move Records:
Debussy's Golliwog's Cakewalk, Children's Corner and Ravel's Ondine, Gaspard de la Nuit, played by Stephen McIntyre on his album The Impressionists © 2000. Schubert's Impromptu, played by Ronald Farren-Price on his album Reflections © 1993.

This podcast also includes my two regular themes:
Introduction and final announcements: Prelude from J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C, Book 1, BWV846, played by Ronald Farren-Price, from his album Reflections, courtesy of Move Records © 1993
Prelude to the section "In my study": a movement from G.F. Handel: Suite No. 5 in E major, played by Elizabeth Anderson on her album The Convict Harpsichordist, also courtesy of Move Records © 2003

In my study: notes on collecting plant specimens; a half-composted copy of Peter Mathers' novel the Wort Papers that he gave me; notes on gardens, the dialectic between art and nature; see In my study No.2 (2.3 Mb; 4' 58"). The literature on gardens as art, as culture, and their relationship to nature is vast. For a few examples with an interesting historical perspective, see: The italian Renaissance Garden by Claudia Lazzaro (Yale University Press, New Haven, 1990); The Idea of the Garden in the Renaissance by Terry Comito (Harvester Press, Hassocks, Sussex, 1979); Fons sapientiae: Renaissance garden fountains ed. Elizabeth B. MacDougall (Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, 1978); Heavenly Caves: reflections on the garden grotto by Naomi Miller (G. Braziller, New York, 1982); The garden as an art by Mara Miller (State University of New York press, Albany, c.1993).

Peter Mathers: major works
Trap: a novel. Cassell Australia, 1966.
The Wort Papers. (novel) Cassell Australia, 1972.
A Change for the Better: short stories. Words and Visions Publications, Adelaide, 1984.
There are also at least eight plays, and Angels featuring Peter's sculpture (SWAMP, Airey's Inlet, 2001).

All material, unless otherwise stated, is © Copyright Craig Robertson, 2007

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