David Erskine has spent the majority of his working life as a performing artist. He has toured as a clown in circuses, been a television presenter on the ABC, directed theatre productions for both youth and adults, and run his own touring theatre company specialising in puppetry, magic and mask theatre.
Now a writer, he will launch his first novel ‘The Provenance Diary’ at The J Lounge in an unusual ceremony comprising classical music, and a talk by a professor of art history.
“It’s a story about belonging,” David said. “A suspense thriller set against the murky underworld of Nazi stolen art.”
The idea for the book came to him while living in Berlin with his concert-singer wife, Hilary O’Neill.
“We were there for nearly 15 years. The wall was down and Germany was immersed in re-unification. We travelled a lot and I came to learn some of the stories of people surviving after the war, on both sides of the iron curtain.
“I also came to learn something of the immense depth of culture of the country, especially Berlin – a city of artistic genius, rich in art treasures, antiquity and music.”
David said the novel, although fiction, was driven by historical fact, and as a result he spent considerable time conducting research for it.
“Apart from talking to people and reading, I was fortunate to be allowed access to files in the organisation known as the Lost Art Foundation.
“This authority was set up by the German government soon after the wall came down in 1989. Its charter is to re-unite looted cultural assets with their rightful owners – a rather formidable undertaking, given that the Nazis had pulled off the greatest arts heist in history.”
The main character in his book is a street-wise young man on a quest to find his origins. Abandoned as a baby in the UK and brought up in Australia, his search impels him into the world of stolen art, where the more he discovers, the more people have to hide.
The launch will be introduced by author, journalist and adventurer Peter Mason. The music recital will be presented by well known concert pianist Janet Brewer and cellist Robert Truman. Beethoven and Bach are on the repertoire, along with lieder by Richard Strauss to be sung by mezzo soprano Hilary O’Neill.
Guest speaker is Professor Alastair Blanshard, from the University of Queensland, an expert in classics and ancient history.
The launch will be held at 6pm on Thursday 30 November, at The J Lounge. Admission is free.
