The Archaeology of a Dream City
GBP 13.99
by Monica Raszewski
Born and raised in Australia, Martha longs to return to Nadwodom, in a country called Czawa, where her parents and family grew up. As she stumbles upon the works of Marion Porter, an Australian photographer who once photographed the countryside in Czawa, Martha’s own journey to her family’s homeland begins to unfurl. There, she meets her cousin, Klara, and the two discover an uncanny relationship in which each sees herself in the other. Born and raised in Nadwodom, Klara helps Martha discover the multi-layered pattern that connects her present world and the history of a city that remains deep in the shadows of their family’s memories. In moving across time and borders, Martha gradually recognizes the source of her yearning and the connections between the dreams and images that haunt her.
Monica Raszewski’s The Archaeology of a Dream City is a novel that explores the importance of remembering our histories and uncovering what has been lost. It is a story of the need to create, and a story of love that can only be lived when the past has been excavated.
Jane Brown’s poetic photographs accompany the author’s evocative prose throughout the novel.
“Beguiling and compelling, The Archaeology of a Dream City is all the more moving for the subtlety and tact of its beautifully decanted writing, rare qualities that are sure, in turn, to haunt its readers.” — Marion May Campbell, fiction writer and poet
ISBN: 978-1-913891-06-0
Publication date: 15 June 2021
Format: Paperback 216mm x 138mm
Pages: 220
Synopsis
Born and raised in Australia, Martha longs to return to Nadwodom, in a country called Czawa, where her parents and family grew up. As she stumbles upon the works of Marion Porter, an Australian photographer who once photographed the countryside in Czawa, Martha’s own journey to her family’s homeland begins to unfurl. There, she meets her cousin, Klara, and the two discover an uncanny relationship in which each sees herself in the other. Born and raised in Nadwodom, Klara helps Martha discover the multi-layered pattern that connects her present world and the history of a city that remains deep in the shadows of their family’s memories. In moving across time and borders, Martha gradually recognizes the source of her yearning and the connections between the dreams and images that haunt her.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Monica Raszewski was born in Melbourne and currently works as a librarian at the University of Melbourne. She has had short fiction published in Australian literary journals and anthologies and has had several stage plays performed in Melbourne and Sydney. Her radio plays have been produced by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and broadcast nationally. Monica received a State Library of Victoria Creative Fellowship to write her most recent play, There are Trees that are Dancers, which was awarded a Ross Trust Playwrights’ Development Award and was performed at The Courthouse Theatre (La Mama).
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Jane E. Brown is an award-winning artist and professional photographer. Her work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Southeast Museum of Photography, Florida, USA. Born in Al Ahmadi, Kuwait, Jane lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.
