The Iguana
The Iguana by Anna Maria Ortese, published by Minerva in 1990, is a memoir that recounts the author’s isolated childhood in the Australian outback. Spanning 197 pages, this edition presents a personal narrative that explores her experiences as her father’s farmhand and the challenges she faced after his premature death. At the age of 11, Ortese moved to Sydney, where she had to navigate a new and unfamiliar environment.
Readers will find a detailed account of Ortese’s journey as she adapts to life in the city while managing the complexities of her family dynamics, including caring for a depressive mother. The memoir delves into her struggles with alcohol and her eventual immersion in intellectual university life, prompting a reassessment of the political, cultural, and spiritual beliefs of her upbringing. Through her experiences, Ortese illustrates the transformative journey from isolation to becoming a successful career woman.
Official synopsis Publisher
In this memoir the author describes her isolated childhood in the Australian outback. She became her father’s farmhand, and when he died prematurely, she moved to Sydney, aged 11 years, and had to learn to adapt to a new and alien set of rules. Later she started drinking under the stress of looking after a depressive mother, then became involved in intellectual university life and began a reassessment of the political, cultural and spiritual ideas she had been brought up with. Eventually she became a successful career woman.
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