My Father's Shadow

Photo by Harry Nankin

Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo will discuss her memoir, My Father’s Shadow (Monash University Publishing). Sandra’s novel, The Book of Rachel (A&U), was translated into German. Her short stories and poems have been published in literary magazines, including Griffith Review and Westerly. In 1982 Sandra established Dead Set, the first desktop publishing company to work specifically with book publishers. Concurrently, and for the past 40 years, she has worked as a non-fiction editor for leading academic and trade publishers.

Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo grew up in thrall to her father, a prominent antiwar activist, brilliant political organiser and covert member of the Communist Party. From an early age, she adopted his beliefs, becoming a supporter of the Soviet Union and a peace campaigner.
But as the communist ideals of the Left were tested and faltered, the mood of the times shifted to embrace the counterculture. Sandra, living and working amid the swirl of Melbourne’s arts and political scenes, absorbed ideas about feminism, family and Jewish culture that often led to tense conversations with her father. When her father fell ill and hoped to end his suffering, his daughter’s devotion and her loyalty, underwent a final test.
My Father’s Shadow is a portrait of life on the Left during a time of great social change. Lyrical, sharply observed and affecting, it is a candid exploration of the often fraught dynamics between father and daughter and, ultimately, the love that underlies them.
In reviewing the book Anne Summers writes: “It’s one thing to have a complicated relationship with a tough demanding father who is a political legend. It’s quite another thing, writes Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo in this moving memoir, to sit at his deathbed and refuse his final demand.” Sandra has been interviewed about the book by Phillip Adams on ABC LNL.

There will be a Q&A session following the presentation, then light refreshments
MCH members $15; concession (Gov’t Support and full-time students) $15; Non-members $20

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