As a poet, editor and author, Richard Appleton was driven by a love of language and ideas, and a desire that Australians might better understand their country and themselves. He wrote an incisive, accurate prose interspersed with a telling humour. This book provides fresh and valuable insights into Australia’s evolving society, politics and culture over the second half of the 20th century.
“Recollections of a Member of the Sydney Push is full of revelations for a Melbourne person, reminding me of a time when most Australians lived in parallel universes. Richard and I were born in the same year but he operated inside the milieu of Sydney libertarianism, far removed from the prim Methodism and Fabian socialism which existed, without flourishing, in Melbourne. As a Labor Party activist, Richard became increasingly frustrated by the way factions operated, and his experiences had an eerie resemblance to my own. He worked creatively in editing new editions of The Australian Encyclopaedia in which I played a tiny role as contributor, and his chapters on this project are hilarious. Richard has left a valuable and provoking memoir which I encourage you to read.”
– Barry Jones
“Philosopher and encyclopaedist Richard Appleton was a doyen of the Sydney Push, our most original Bohemia. For forty years, he was famed there for his debonair ways, his cigarette-holders and his dramatic Parisian car, but also for his gift of sharing friendship. The Navy’s loss was a clear gain for our culture.”
– Les Murray