Winner; 2015 Nib Waverley Library Award for LiteratureAcute Misfortune is an unflinching portrait of talent and addiction.In 2008; the artist Adam Cullen invited journalist Erik Jensen to stay in his spare room and write his biography. A publisher wanted it; Cullen said. He was sick and ready to talk. Everything would be on the record. What followed were four years of intense honesty and a relationship that became increasingly dangerous. At one point Cullen shot Jensen; to see how committed he was to the book. At another; he threw Jensen from a speeding motorbike.Eventually; Jensen realised the contract did not exist. Cullen had invented it to get to know the writer. The book became an investigation of Cullenrsquo;s psychology and the decline of his final years. In Acute Misfortune; we have a riveting account of the life and death of one of Australiarsquo;s most celebrated artists. The figure famous for his Archibald Prize-winning portrait of David Wenham is followed through drug deals and periods of deep self-reflection; onward into his trial for weapon possession and finally his death in 2012 at the age of 46.The story is by turns tender and horrifying: a spare tale of art; sex; drugs and childhood; told at close quarters and without judgment.Shortlisted; 2015 Victorian Premiers Literary AwardsShortlisted; 2015 Walkley Book Awardlsquo;Fierce and spellbindingrsquo; mdash;David Marrlsquo;The terrible force of the painterrsquo;s rush to self-destruction is matched all the way by the writerrsquo;s calm mastery of his story.rsquo; mdash;Helen Garnerlsquo;A teasing and complex ode to a man who defied attempts to categorise him or to understand him. Jensenrsquo;s portrait dares to be both beautiful and ugly - that is; he is both tender and forensic. This is a marvellous; propulsive; intelligent read.rsquo; mdash;Christos Tsiolkaslsquo;Jensen has delivered a lucid portrait of a deeply complicated talent; one of the best nonfiction releases of 2014 to datersquo; mdash;Books+Publishing Onlinelsquo;If biography is the art of dismantling your subject; while pretending to be a mere scribe; then Jensen is superb as both beautician and morticianrsquo; mdash;Charles Waterstreetlsquo;Acute Misfortune is a fascinating; non-judgmental exploration of the forces that shaped Cullenrsquo;s life hellip; Itrsquo;s a pacy; absorbing read. Jensen has a wonderfully light touch that balances the extremities of the story.rsquo; mdash;Australianlsquo;Brave; expressive; funny; pungent; revelatory; and at times very sadrsquo; mdash;Sydney Review of Bookslsquo;A sober book about a man who was anything but. A clear-eyed; careful account of a squandered life that is generous and unusual in Jensenrsquo;s refusal to condemn or opine about a man who was a stew of wretched characteristics common to an addict.rsquo; mdash;Kate Jenningslsquo;Like the painter himself; [Jensen] eschews a conventional form and tone for one that is compressed; nonjudgmental; and mostly impressionistic.rsquo; mdash;the Agelsquo;Raw and uncompromisingrsquo; mdash;Herald SunErik Jensen is the founding editor of the Saturday Paper. He has worked as a writer and editor at the Sydney Morning Herald; where he won the Walkley Award for Young Print Journalist of the Year and the United Nations Association of Australiarsquo;s Media Peace Prize. His work has appeared in various publications; including the Monthly and New Statesman.
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Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. we enjoy wonderful descriptions of the outside worldBy DonatienAs usual with Balzac; we enjoy wonderful descriptions of the outside world; such as the Loire Valley; and equally wonderful descriptions of the naivety; misfortunes and sufferings of the main character. However; these are constantly spoiled by layer upon layer of his preaching on all sorts of subjects : the condition of women; separations; village life; Parisian life; fashion; military mentality; etc. His analysis is often subtle; but remains irrelevant to the plot. We know how that woman feels : hersquo;s described it masterfully. We are not dim-witted children. So; why does he persist in explaining what just happened and then; just in case we hadnrsquo;t got it; explaining it again ?In the days when the Readerrsquo;s Digest published shortened versions of classic novels and modern best-sellers; I had mixed feelings about that kind of approach. For Balzac; it would be entirely justified. The result would be stunning.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It is hardly worthy of Balzac and I do not recommend it.By B. PrettymanThis book starts out as very promising; dealing with Paris; minor aristocrats; and the era of Napoleon. It quickly diminishes into a plot that has very little action . The descriptions of nature and the analyses of sentiment go on ad nauseam. About two-thirds of the way through the book; it appears that the author has run out of ideas to move the plot forward; and he resorts to incredible twists in the action such as a mysterious stranger knocking on the door in the middle of a blustery winter night--with whom his daughter runs off; and pirates seizing ships off the coast of France. This book was so disjointed that I had trouble finishing it. It is hardly worthy of Balzac and I do not recommend it.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting bookBy ChuckI thought really good but I think I like the Maitres Sonore a bit better by George Sand which Im reading right now - as really keeps you up in the air and tends to keep the interest a bit better - this was really good though no doubt -
