Flaws in the Mirror: My Self-Portrait

Author: Patrick White
Translator: Li Yao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-06-01
Features: Patrick White's "Self-Portrait" consists of three parts. The first part is a concise recollection of his early life, his relationships with family and friends, and how he, through relentless effort, became a writer. White wrote this part with his characteristic sharpness, wisdom, and a pen that was always filled with questions and complex emotions. He depicted his past friends, enemies, and significant events in extremely concise language. The second part narrates a series of travels in Greece. There, White found his spiritual home, and his tone became softer, more objective, and more emotionally rich. The third part, "Reminiscences and Reflections," is like a photo montage of White's current life. He is ruthless toward his enemies but generous and lenient toward his friends. Through his analysis of the moral decline of his influential friend—Sir John Kerr, the former Governor-General of Australia, and his wife, Lady Kerr—as well as the Australian most famous painter, Sidney Nolan—White critiques the overall moral mediocrity of Australian society. Mirror Imperfections is an outstanding, original, and sincere "self-portrait" by a genius writer. In this book, the author's comments on his family, life, and all of humanity, though sometimes harsh, still radiate a belief in and praise for truth and love.