A blast from the past. This link takes you to the ABC Radio Australia archives. It's an interview I did with Richard Aedy about this blog. A potted history of my life to that date in 2009. Fascinating to listen to yourself almost fifteen years on.
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/meet-the-listener-the-adventures-of-steve-capelin/3079516
It took almost eighteen months but Paradiso A Novel eventually arrived in Melbourne for a covid delayed launch.Thanks to the support of Co.As.It. Melbourne, Readings Books and The Veneto Club, Bulleen, Melbourne the trip south was a great success.
Co.As.It. Italian Museum, Carlton Tuesday 21 February 2023
Sixty people attended the first event at the Co.As.It. Italian Museum in Carlton. The audience was a mix of Italians with some knowledge of this story, lovers of Italy and Italian culture and a smattering of friends and personal connections. My co-presenter was well known Melbourne academic Ilma Martinuzzi O'Brien who has a connection to the story through one of the major characters and has done a mountain of work on Italian Australian history. We entertained the audience for an hour with stories which lay behind this novel and some lively questions from the floor. And we sold some books (thanks to Readings). Paolo Baracchi the Cultural Programs Manager at Co.As.It. described the book as "indeed a remarkable, foundational Italian Australian story."
The Veneto Club Thursday 23 February 2023
The Veneto Club event was quite different. Where the Co.As.It. gig was free, The Veneto Club was a paid event and it sold out. Again, Ilma and I did a double act but this time to an audience heavily invested in this Venetian story. Most knew little but were eager to learn. a few were descendants, one of whom was a second cousin I'd never met (his grandmother and my grandfather were siblings). Before we began we were overrun with people wanting to buy copies of the book sight unseen. That was a great start to the night. Many in the audience knew the Italian villages where this story began, all were fascinated that such an unusual story could happen under their noses and yet be so little known. They had me on my toes.
In the final wrap-up my second cousin rose to his feet, a dog-eared copy of Paradiso in his hand, marked with multiple post-it-notes. I was nervous. Was this the moment that my research would be revealed as wanting? Would he be about to criticise me for including his relatives without his permission? None of the above. He had marked all the pages where his ancestors (Spinaze) had been mentioned and in his short speech went on to give his opinion about the importance of the book to him personaly, and to Australian history. It was the best sales pitch I could have asked for and a lovely way to end the evening.
The book is (to date) stocked by Readings at all three of their Melbourne stores.
.jpg)
Nick and I are old clown mates from way back, so as well as telling some good stories of Italy and travel, and little known aspects of this 19th century Italian-Australian story, we also managed to revisit a few old clown moments. The audience was a little bemused to begin with but warmed up quickly and understood that book launches could be both informative and funny.
Thanks to Co.As.It. and the Sydney Italian Cultural Institute for agreeing to support this event. The result was a mixed audience of descendants, local Italian community members (hi to Joe at Bar Sport who came along with his two daughters) and some general Sydney-siders who were all interested in this remarkable story. In retrospect I must apologize to any native Italian speakers who might have not thought my mock Italian was as funny as I did. It was the best I could do, having lost the language two generations back when speaking English was the only way to fit in.
The novel is now available at the following Sydney Book Stores:
Berkelouw Books. Leichhardt
Abbey's Bookshop,York St Sydney
Gleebooks, Glebe
Gleebooks, Dulwich Hill
Better Read than Dead, Newtown
There is also a spare copy at Anthony Albenese's Electoral Office in Marrickville. I suspect he won't get around to reading it for a couple of terms of Parliament. He seems pretty busy.
Paradiso is now available in Sydney at "Better Read Than Dead" - King St, Newtown AND "Abbey's Bookshop", York St, City.
A Sydney book launch is planned for July hosted by Co.As.It (Italian Welfare League), Norton Street, Leichhardt.
SPREAD THE WORD.
My family links to Norton Street run deep so it will be special. My grandfather and his brother ran a very successful fruit and vegetable business at the corner of Parramatta Rd and Norton Street between 1905 and 1915. They married two Irish sisters who lived a few blocks away and then things went pear shaped. It's central to the book I'm currently working on.
Here's my mate Nick reading Paradiso at Annandale. He's one of my Sydney agents.
