Talking of Michelangelo

Meditations on doubt, struggle and fulfilment

John Harry

$49.95 $42.83

Paperback

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English

Hembury Books
18 August 2025

Individual artists, art monographs; Individual photographers; Individual architects & architectural firms; Autobiography: general; Philosophy

It's taken almost all my life to change into someone who's aware, who listens, who's forgiven himself, who has an idea of what love means. The process has been exhausting - like melting yourself down in a furnace and pouring your elements into a new mould.

Talking of Michelangelo is an insightful memoir and moving philosophical reflection on a life lived among great men and for the benefit of others. The title, inspired by the line in T.S. Eliot's poem 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock', gently weaves together Prufrock's sense of not belonging with the quiet struggles of John Harry's early life.

A story of ambition and regret, triumph and failure, it unfolds as a conversation with a close childhood friend, wine in hand, at John's home in the foothills of an ancient mountain range in Victoria. Tracing his lifelong search for meaning and connection, John questions who he is and what his hard-fought, adventurous, contradictory and often disconnected life has meant.

Inviting readers into this honest, intimate dialogue, John faces his past and the precariousness of life. From the prison-scape of his boarding school to chasing Michelangelo's masterpieces across Europe, John admits existential doubt while holding onto the belief that even in the face of absurdity, humanity can find faith in love, creativity and one another.

Vulnerable and profound, Talking of Michelangelo reveals hard-won truths and what it means to be human. For anyone who has ever questioned the meaning of existence and what a good life might be, Talking of Michelangelo is one man's thoughtful answer - and John Harry's enduring legacy.

By: John Harry
Imprint: Hembury Books
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 744g
ISBN: 9781923517066
ISBN 10: 1923517066
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 18 August 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Born in Washington DC to an accomplished diplomat, John Harry spent his formative years in Geneva and Singapore before the family moved to Melbourne in 1957, where he has lived and worked ever since.A law graduate from Melbourne University, John completed his Master of Laws at the University of Virginia through the ITT International Fellowship Program. He began his career with the Rio Tinto mining group, later becoming a partner at prominent law firm Allens, where he represented major corporations and state governments.Throughout his life, John has made substantial contributions to charitable and community causes, supporting organisations such as the NotFair Art Foundation and the Life Education Centre. John's passion for rowing - as a competitor, coach, administrator and fundraiser - was sparked during his university days, and he has successfully represented both Victoria and Australia.John now lives on his small Warburton farm in Victoria with his wife Donna. He is frequently visited by his three children - including award-winning children's author Pip Harry - and five grandchildren. Active in the wine industry as a partner in Wild Fire Wines in the Yarra Ranges, John is an avid traveler, musician, photographer, cook, winemaker, brewer and vintage car crank.Talking of Michaelangelo is John's first book - it is a reflection on, and an attempt to understand, whirlwind that has been his life.