What's the key to the art of growing older well? Is it an art that anyone can cultivate? How should we confront dying and death in a secular age? What about sex when we're older? What about loneliness? (And, for that matter, what about facelifts?) At the height of his powers in this remarkable (and often witty) book, Robert Dessaix addresses these increasingly urgent questions in inimitable prose and comes up with some surprising answers. From Java to Hobart via Berlin, Dessaix invites us to eavesdrop on his intimate, no-nonsense conversations about ageing with friends and chance acquaintances. Reflecting on time, religion, painting, dancing and even grandchildren, Dessaix takes us on an enlivening journey across the landscape of growing older. Riffing on writers and thinkers from Plato to Eva Hoffman, he homes in on the crucial importance of a rich inner life. The Time of Our Lives is a wise and timely exploration of not just the challenges but also the...

An intimate and moving account of the search for origins and identity by respected author, broadcaster, essayist and translator Robert Dessaix. 'A journey of identity by a virtuoso in language and master of narrative control ... a brave, moving, funny, enthralling book - all the way' - tHE CANBERRA tIMES Adopted as a baby towards the end of World War II, Robert Dessaix grew up haunted by 'a shaft of silence' surrounding the question of his natural mother's identity, and of his identity and sexuality. In this touching memoir, he recounts the story of a most unusual childhood on Sydney's North Shore; of his fascination with Russia and his years spent studying in Cold War Moscow; and of his restless wanderings around the world. Frank and compelling, this 'tale without an ending' is a story of coming to terms with a history previously unknown, and with it the acceptance of a new identity. A Mother's Disgrace was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, and highly...

House in Gastouri for rent for 2 mths. Occupant travelling. Reasonable rent.'In a village on the island of Corfu, alone in the cottage of a man he's never met, a young Australian actor pieces together the strange life story of the writer whose house he's living in. As he explores his surroundings and makes new friends in Corfu, his own life begins to appear to him like an illuminating shadow-play of his absent host's.Set in the physical landscapes of the Greek islands, Adelaide and the suburbs of London, Robert Dessaix's second novel is about friendship, love, the ordinary and extraordinary. Yet at its core is a perfectly placed meditation on literary landscapes - Homer, Sappho, Cavafy and Chekhov - and the part art can play in making our lives beautiful.