Telling Lives

'What we now want from a biography, or autobiography, is the very thing that Virginia Woolf said that we have no right to want: art. Not only art, obviously, but art nevertheless. And we love the illumination of dark corners of the soul, having quite a few of our own, if we’re honest with ourselves.' – Robert Dessaix

The Seymour Biography Lecture was presented annually at the Australian National University and the National Library of Australia from 2005 to 2023, by eminent biographers, autobiographers and memoirists. From political profiles to ‘tragic poems’, this collection of the lectures investigates the philosophical scaffolding that holds up the form of biography and the deft skill required to tell the truth of a life beautifully.

Over seventeen years, internationally significant authors have spoken on topics such as ‘Biography and the Struggle for the Soul of Australia’ (Jill Roe, 2007), ‘Truth. Truthfulness. Self. Voice.’ (Raimond Gaita, 2017) and ‘Honouring the Biographer’s Contract’ (Chris Wallace, 2023). Interrogate the art of life-writing with thoughtfulness, humour and candour along with:

Dr Brenda Niall AO
Professor Lawrence Goldman
Emeritus Professor Jill Roe AO
Richard Holmes
Dr David Day
Professor Frances Spalding CBE
Robert Dessaix
Professor Jeffrey Meyers
Drusilla Modjeska
Professor Ray Monk
Robert Drewe
David Marr
Raimond Gaita
Richard Fidler
Emeritus Professor Judith Brett
Jacqueline Kent
Professor Chris Wallace