Peel Me a Lotus

Australian writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston left London for Greece in 1951, settling on Kalymnos and Hydra and writing Mermaid Singing and Peel Me a Lotus, which describes their bohemian community and the chaos of domestic life.

Format: Hardback
Length: 212 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2022
Publisher: Muswell Press

In 1951, Australian writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston embarked on a journey from grey, post-war London to Greece, seeking a simpler life and a focus on their writing. Their first stop was the tiny island of Kalymnos, followed by Hydra, where they settled and began to live a more modest existence. Their goal was to create meaningful works of literature, and the result was two of Clift's most celebrated and cherished books: "Mermaid Singing" and "Peel Me a Lotus." "Peel Me a Lotus" is a companion volume to "Mermaid Singing" and chronicles their move to Hydra, where they purchased a house and navigated the challenges of domestic life while becoming a hub for an informal bohemian community of artists and writers. Among the notable figures in this community was Leonard Cohen, who became their lodger and Marianne Ihlen, who became their girlfriend. Clift's vivid descriptions and vivid portrayal of the characters and the sun-drenched rhythms of traditional life transport readers back to a time before backpackers and mass tourism transformed the region.

Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781838340193
Edition number: 2 Revised edition