Anne-marie schwirtlich biography of abrahams

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National Library of Australia

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The cover image, World Map by Fra Mauro c. 1450 is one of the most important and famous maps of all time. This monumental map of the world was created by the monk Fra Mauro in his monastery on the ...

The cover image, World Map by Fra Mauro c. 1450 is one of the most important and famous maps of all time. This monumental map of the world was created by the monk Fra Mauro in his monastery on the island of San Michele in the Venetian lagoon. Now the centrepiece of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in St Marc's Square in Venice, the map in its nearly 600-year history has never left Venice - until now. Renowned for its sheer size, over 2.3 metres square, and stunning colours, the map was made at a time of transition between the medieval world view and new knowledge uncovered by the great voyages of discovery. Brilliantly painted and illuminated on sheets of oxhide, the sphere of the Earth is surrounded by the sphere of the Ocean in the ancient way. Yet Fra Mauro included the latest information on exploration by Portuguese and Arab navigators. Commissioned by King Afonso V of Portugal, it is the last of the great medieval world maps to inspire navigators in the Age of D

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Last Thursday night we went to our fifth Seymour Biography Lecture at the National Library of Australia. We missed the last one in 2019 because we were travelling. Little did we know then that it would be three years before another one could be held. The Seymour Biography Lecture, which is one of the highlights on the Library’s calendar, is an annual lecture devoted to life-writing. It was endowed by Dr John and Dr Heather Seymour AO in 2005, and provides eminent ‘life writers’ with an opportunity to explore the business and craft of biography, autobiography or memoir.

This year’s speaker, Jacqueline Kent, was introduced by the NLA’s Director-General, Marie-Louise Ayres. She has an impressive life-writing track record, including:

• A certain style: Beatrice Davis, a literary life (2001): won National Biography Award and the Nita B. Kibble Award
• An exacting heart: The story of Hephzibah Menuhin (2008): won the Nita B. Kibble Award 
• The making of Julia Gillard (2009): written before Gillard became Australia’s first female Prime Minister 
• Take your best shot: The Prime Ministership of Julia Gillard (2013): covers her Prime Ministership, and her story isn’t finished yet, said Kent.
• Beyond Words: A year wit