Hazzard and Harrower:The Letters,edited by Brigitta Olubas and Susan Wyndham.
Often lavish in her thanks,Hazzard was well aware of the daughterly role her friend took on,and impressed by her moral courage to continue,despite abuse,frustration and hours of labour,in the largely thankless task. It is touching to read of the dedication that Harrower brought to her care,and fascinating to see how much the letters are preoccupied with this gigantic (manipulative,charismatic,maddening) presence in their lives.
White,for one,considered Kit “vampiric” and Harrower the victim of unhealthy emotional enthralment. The writers exchanged letters,largely centred on Kit,for almost six years before at last,they briefly met.
The longevity of their correspondence,and Harrower’s affection for Hazzard’s husband,Francis,had much to do with the emotional enmeshment of their lives,almost entirely epistolary. There was a disastrous meeting in Europe,but the connection developed into mutual regard,confession and a wish for direct conversation.
What we learn from this collection,then,is how crucial a confidant they were to each other,and how fundamentally their identities as writers needed the exchange of opinions and judgments. Harrower gives us some delightful details;many,like Hazzard’s,are of her friendships with other writers.
She was an enormous support to Kylie Tennant,even appearing in her place to identify her son’s body after his murder;she was patient and loving with Stead,and saw the depth of her unhappiness and dislocation;and she was perhaps White’s closest female friend. They went together to political rallies,plays,recitals and movies (Tarkovsky’sThe Mirror,is one notable occasion),they shared meals and phone calls,and she remained staunchly loyal and took on the role of mediator as White fell out with others. When White insulted Hazzard,Harrower conceded his rudeness but remained his loving friend.
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Both writers are witty,comic and clever. There’s a rather hilarious account of Harrower watchingLast Tango in Paris,as the women sitting behind,with their Minties,commented on Marlon Brando’s athleticism. Both are modest and endlessly encouraging of the other. One of the repeated themes of the letters is Harrower’s stalled writing career:White and Hazzard are equally emphatic in advising her to resume writing. Neither seemed aware of the pressure this might also have exerted.
Hazzard’s life on Capri,her friendship with Graham Greene and her own fame give the text an aspect of celebrity memoir. But nowhere is the loving register forgotten,and in the grace of their solidarity and the reciprocity of their friendship,lies that other side of biography,written in their own words.
Gail Jones’ most recent novel,One Another,is published by Text. Brigitta Olubas and Susan Wyndham are guests at Sydney Writers’ Festival (swf.org.au).