Joan Lindsay

One of Australia's foremost biographers examines the life of Joan Lindsay, the author of one of Australia's most enduring novels Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Joan Lindsay's Picnic at Hanging Rock has captivated and perplexed generations. But the woman behind the novel is as much an enigma as the disappearance of the fictitious schoolgirls and their teacher.

Joan Lindsay, wife of painter, art entrepreneur and National Gallery of Victoria director Daryl Lindsay, sacrificed her own artistic talent in deference to her husband, as was the order of the day. She painted landscapes with skill, but gave it up; wrote plays and novels of little merit; took routine journalism commissions for much-needed funds; and happily played hostess to guests including Dame Nellie Melba, Robert Helpman, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, as well as Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch and Robert Menzies, at the Lindsay country house on the Mornington Peninsula-all the while giving no indication of the literary brilliance that would emerge late in her life. There were clues, though, as Brenda Niall reveals in this fascinating biography. Joan's unconventional attitude towards time-she allowed no clocks in the house and never wore a watch-and her deep reverence for the Australian landscape hint at the mystical centre of her masterpiece.

Was Joan really the dutiful wife, or was she patiently waiting her chance? Was Picnic at Hanging Rock a burst of creativity in response to a life held in check? Or did something happen behind the carefully curated scenes that gave rise to her extraordinary novel? Joan Lindsay- The Hidden Life of the Woman who Wrote Picnic at Hanging Rock explores these questions and more in an engaging and surprising portrait of a fascinating Australian woman.

PRAISE-

'The great pleasure of this new biography... is to share with Niall and Lindsay the author's delight in her late success and her new identity as a writer. The scenes during which Picnic at Hanging Rock was filmed at Lindsay's home, the closing chapters of the biography, are joyful and exuberant' Guardian Australia

'Niall's short but limpidly written biography leaves the most tantalising mysteries of her life unsolved, just as its subject would have wanted.' Tom Gilling, Weekend Australian

'Brenda Niall is one of Australia's premier literary biographers and in Joan Lindsay- The Hidden Life of The Woman Who Wrote Picnic at Hanging Rock she's at her best, bringing Lindsay further to life and further illuminating her seminal work.' Michael Williams, QANTAS Magazine

'When it comes to biography, Brenda Niall is indefatigable.' Jason Steger, Age/SMH

'This deep dive into Joan's life is simply fascinating.' New Idea

'A change of pace with non-fiction. Brenda Niall is one of Australia's best biographers and her new book, Joan Lindsay, is about the writer behind one of Australia's most compelling works of fiction, Picnic at Hanging Rock. For most of her life, Joan was the wife of a more famous man, Daryl Lindsay, sacrificing her artistic talent for his own artistic career. Niall explores the enigmatic life of Joan, and what lay behind her captivating novel that has endured so successfully.' Fairfield Books