A Paper Inheritance

By Dymphna Stella Rees
Published by University of Qld Press (UQP)
ISBN 9780702263200

At first I wondered about the title, but it is a perfect choice, as the second daughter of Leslie (Les) Rees and Coralie Clarke Rees, who were a highly influential and accomplished literary couple from the 1930s onwards, inherited a treasure trove of letters, notes and drafts from her parents.

The author shares the story of her close and loving parents who were devoted to one another from their early 20s and spent their lives working as partners in their literary life.

Beginning with their lives in Perth, after meeting at university, we travel with them to London and on their seperate six week journeys by ship, as both Leslie and Coralie win scholarships to work and study in London. Fleet Street is where they cut their teeth as writers and theatre critics, interviewing some of the 20th Century's literary greats.

It is a pleasure reading of their exploits over the next six years, sas they go through ome really tough times until they find their feet and land the roles they had dreamed of getting. Then we follow their return journey to Perth with a rather cantankerous, highly accomplished and renowned Australian pianist that Coralie works with for a while on her tour around Australia.

Frankly, it is well worth reading the life story of Les Rees and Coralie Clarke Rees and their adventurous lives. They frequently travelled around Australia and internationally even with having a happy family life with their two daughters back in Neutral Bay in Sydney, thanks to support from friends and family. They travelled extensively, wrote numerous books for children, books on the natural world and travel, radio plays for the ABC, plays for the theatre, articles for newspapers in Sydney and Perth and so much more.

Leslie Rees was instrumental in drama department as editor in the early days of the ABC and Coralie Clarke Rees was a broadcaster. A rich life indeed. Sadly for many years Coralie battled a debilitating illness and sadly passed far too soon in her early 60s.

Without giving any more of the story away, Dymphna Stella Rees an accomplished writer and influential educator in her own right, has written a compelling page turner. Her writing style is a joy to read, especially with her use of the English language and vocabulary. She reveals details of Les and Coralie's close friendships and association with other Australian literarti such as Ruth Park and D'Arcy Niland, Miles Franklin, Mary Durack , Vance and Nettie Palmer.

This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so.If you Liked this review, Buy me a coffee

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