'Christopher Hitchens described Geoffrey Robertson as ‘the greatest living Australian' and the satirical magazine Private Eye calls him ‘an Australian who has had a vowel transplant'. Just before he was to cross-examine Princess Diana, the London Times complained that he was ‘anti-establishment, republican and Australian' - in ascending order of horror.
'Internationally recognised as one of the world's leading human rights lawyers and as an intellectual inspiration for the global justice movement, he regularly boomerangs back from leading Europe's largest civil liberties practice to the land of his birth and his youth. Just as his Hypotheticals dazzled television audiences, so the speeches and essays collected in this book provoke, disturb and entertain.
'Here you will find new heroes in our history, such as the schoolteacher who stopped Ned Kelly's planned terrorist atrocity at Glenrowan, and the squadron leader who led ‘the few' - the airmen who held the Japanese at bay after the fall of Singapore. There are insights into Australian education, the story of wrongly jailed Aboriginal mother Nancy Young, encounters with Vaclav Havel, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Kirby, John Mortimer and Julian Assange, the transcript of a previously banned Hypothetical, reflections on worldwide problems such as torture, terrorism and the Catholic church, and much else besides. With his trademark intelligence, humour and humanity, Robertson's expatriate (but not ex-patriot) vision picks the real winners and losers in the Australian race. ' (Publisher's blurb)
'The passion and charisma Geoffrey Robertson is famous for from the television series Hypotheticals will grace the Hamer Hall stage in the world premiere of his live show Dreaming Too Loud.
'In a one night only event, Robertson will offer rare insights into the many iconic moments of his private and professional life, including an illustrious career of high-profile and controversial cases and tireless campaigning for international human rights.
'Some of his recent cases include the representation of Julian Assange in extradition proceedings in the UK, the representation of Armenia with barrister Amal Clooney at the European Court of Human Rights in the Perinçek v. Switzerland case as well as having been on several human rights missions on behalf of Amnesty International – there’s much to be seen, heard and learnt from this extraordinary man.
'With his trademark intelligence, humour and humanity, Geoffrey Robertson’s first one-man show will be a beguiling mix of gravitas and intellectual larrikinism - a rare opportunity to see the man on stage live as he has never been seen before.' (Production summary)
Dedication:
In loving memory of
Harold and Florence Robertson and Henry and Bernice Beattie.
Epigraph:
=='Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
–T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
'Ned Kelly told Tom Curnow that he and his family were free to go, suggesting that they go directly home and then straight to bed, warning Tom, 'Don't dream too loud.' He then casually suggested that if he did, he would probably be shot.'
–Ian W. Shaw, Glenrowan
