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A Bone of Fact

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A Bone of Fact is the unconventional memoir of David Walsh, the enigmatic creator of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart. A self-made multi-millionaire who built his fortune through gambling, Walsh shares his controversial and absorbing life story with a candid and witty voice. This book reveals the man behind Australia’s unique art sceneβ€”a figure as mysterious as he is idolisedβ€”offering insights into his wild vision and the reality he shaped.
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Format: Hardback
$6000
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This memoir will appeal to readers interested in biography, contemporary art, and tales of personal success. It suits those curious about unusual life stories and the mindset of a provocative and innovative entrepreneur.

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MONA's David Walsh is an enigma in the Australian art world. A Bone of Fact is his unconventional, absorbing and brilliantly surprising memoir.

MONA's David Walsh is an enigma in the Australian art world. A Bone of Fact is his unconventional, absorbing and brilliantly surprising memoir.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

David Walsh, the creator of Mona in Hobart, is both a giant and an enigma in the Australian art world. A multi-millionaire who made his money gambling, David has turned a wild vision into a unique reality; he is in turns controversial, mysterious, and idolised.

A Bone of Fact is his utterly unconventional and absorbing memoir, about which he says: 'By some great good fortune (mine, not yours) you hold in your hands my story, credible I think, but not extraordinary (despite what those avaricious publishers might have you believe). I have captured your attention: maybe you have some resonance with Mona, or maybe good graphical design partly seized your day. To extract 55 bucks from you I need to say something clever, but I can't think of anything. So I'll seduce you with a tale of another, cleverer, writer. Stanislaw Lem, noted Polish science fiction author and notorious smartarse, once told an American colleague that his new collection of short stories would be published in a paper bag. This conjured a mental picture of the stories being selected by lucky dip. The idea that my life story could be told that way, without a disabling manifesto, is appealing.

Unfortunately, Mr Lem had actually said 'paperback' (his meaning concealed beneath his thick accent), a wholly ordinary practice to deliver extraordinary stories. My story lacks Mr Lem's magical reality and philosophy, and it also lacks a paper bag. You should buy it anyway, if you are at least mildly curious as to why I want you to give me more money, even though I'm already rich. But if you happen to read Polish you could probably do better reading Lem. Incidentally, Polish is one of the few words that changes its pronunciation when you change the first letter from upper case to lower case. If you are in Natal or Nice you can probably think of another. But surely, if you are in Natal or Nice you have better things to do than lurk in bookshops. Get out of here, but take me with you. I promise to treat you nice. But not so nice that you'll need to go to a natal clinic.'

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781742612911

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 01 October 2014

Country: Australia

Imprint: Picador Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 40.0mm

Width: 175.0mm

Height: 238.0mm

Weight: 1262g

Pages: 384

About the Author

David Walsh is a mathematician, gambler and gallery owner from Hobart.

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