Biographers in Conversation

Helen Pitt: "The House" and "Luna Park"

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In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Helen Pitt chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about The House: The dramatic story of the Sydney Opera House and the people who made it and Luna Park: The extraordinary story of the showmen, shysters and schemers who built Sydney’s famous fun park.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

  • The catalyst for The House was hearing of the death of Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon. Helen Pitt realised his tragic story deserved retelling for a new generation.
  • Helen restored the largely forgotten story of Peter Hall, the Australian architect who completed the interiors of Sydney Opera House after Utzon’s dramatic departure in 1966.
  • Luna Park began taking shape in 2019, driven by Helen’s desire to uncover the dark history lurking beneath one of Sydney’s most joyful facades.
  • The Ghost Train fire of 9 June 1979, which killed six children and one father, sits at the heart of Luna Park. Helen presents compelling evidence that the potential crime scene was bulldozed within 24 hours, making the truth perhaps permanently unknowable.
  • Helen cites Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City as her primary model for novelistic nonfiction, employing scene-setting, dialogue and granular detail to bring history viscerally alive.
    • ...more
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