The Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a breathtaking building, recognised around the world as a symbol of modern Australia. Along with the Taj Mahal and other World Heritage sites, it is celebrated for its architectural grandeur and the daring and innovation of its design. It showcases the incomparable talents involved in its conception, construction and performance history.

But this stunning house on Bennelong Point also holds many secrets and scandals. In his gripping biography, Peter FitzSimons marvels at how this magnificent building came to be, details its enthralling history and reveals the dramatic stories and hidden secrets about the people whose lives have been affected, both negatively and positively, by its presence.

He shares how a conservative 1950s state government had the incredible vision and courage to embark on this nation-defining structure; how an architect from Denmark and construction workers from Australia and abroad invented new techniques to bring it to completion; how ambition, betrayal, professional rivalry, sexual intrigue, murder, bullying and breakdowns are woven into its creation; and how it is now acknowledged as one of the wonders and masterpieces of human ingenuity.

In The Opera House, Peter FitzSimons captures the extraordinary stories around this building that are as mesmerising as the light catching on its white sails.

“While the historian tells you what happened, the novelist tells you what it felt like, but only you can judge whether the journalist, columnist and one of Australia's best-selling non-fiction writers managed to pull it off.-- Raima Gaind , NATIONAL [ONLINE] PS News”

The Opera House is utterly engrossing ... a smashing read.--Loretta Barnard, NATIONAL [ONLINE] Loud Mouth
Fitzsimons takes us behind the scenes -he vividly imparts the stories about the many people whose lives were affected, both favourably and adversely, by its construction and existence ... We get to feel as if we know Utzon, Fitzsimons strikingly bringing him to life.--LYNNE LANCASTER, NSW [ONLINE] Sydney Arts Guide
Peter Fitzsimons in his thoroughly researched, comprehensive book 'The Opera House', gives the reader a different and unique insight into the social and political history surrounding this iconic landmark.--NAN VAN DISSEL, NATIONAL [ONLINE] Blue Wolf Reviews
While the historian tells you what happened, the novelist tells you what it felt like, but only you can judge whether the journalist, columnist and one of Australia's best-selling non-fiction writers managed to pull it off.--Raima Gaind, NATIONAL [ONLINE] PS News

Peter FitzSimons is Australia's bestselling non-fiction writer, and for the past 35 years has also been a journalist and columnist with the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD and the SUN-HERALD.

He is the author of a number of highly successful books, including BREAKER MORANT, BURKE AND WILLS, MONASH'S MASTERPIECE, KOKODA, NED KELLY and GALLIPOLI, as well as biographies of such notable Australians as Sir Douglas Mawson, Nancy Wake and Nick Farr-Jones. His passion is to tell Australian stories, our own stories: of great men and women, of stirring events in our history.

Peter grew up on a farm north of Sydney, went to boarding school in Sydney and attended Sydney University. An ex-Wallaby, he also lived for several years in rural France and Italy, playing rugby for regional clubs. He and his wife Lisa Wilkinson - journalist, magazine editor and television presenter - have three children; they live in Sydney.

On a sacred site on the land of the Gadigal people, Tubowgule, a placeof gathering and storytelling for over 60,000 years, now sits the SydneyOpera House. It is a breathtaking building recognised around the worldas a symbol of modern Australia. Along with the Taj Mahal and otherWorld Heritage sites, it is celebrated for its architectural grandeurand the daring and innovation of its design.But this stunning house on what is now called Bennelong Point also holdsmany sorrows, secrets and scandals. In this fascinating and impeccablyresearched biography, Peter FitzSimons exposes these secrets, marvels athow this magnificent building came to be, details its enthralling history andreveals the dramatic stories about the people whose lives were affected, bothnegatively and positively, by its presence. Ambition, dispossession, betrayal,professional rivalry, sexual intrigue, murder, bullying and breakdowns arewoven into the creation of this masterpiece of human ingenuity. The Opera House shares the extraordinary stories connected to thisbuilding that are as mesmerising as the light catching on its white sails.

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