Alasdair McGregor Alasdair McGregor i(A85363 works by)
Born: Established: 1954 ;
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 Greenway's Sydney Alasdair McGregor , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 369 2015; (p. 11-12)

— Review of A Forger's Progress : The Life of Francis Greenway Alasdair McGregor , 2014 single work biography
1 5 y separately published work icon A Forger's Progress : The Life of Francis Greenway Alasdair McGregor , Sydney : NewSouth Publishing , 2014 8167698 2014 single work biography

'Talented, well trained and confident in his own abilities and worth, Australia’s first government architect was also hot-headed and tactless.

'Sentenced to death for forgery, then granted a last-minute reprieve, Francis Greenway was transported to New South Wales in 1814. Within a single eventful decade, Greenway’s and Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s transformation of Sydney from a ramshackle convict garrison into an elegant city was well under way with buildings like the Hyde Park Barracks, St James’ Church, Supreme Court and Windsor courthouse.

'Award-winning author Alasdair McGregor – in the first biography of Greenway since 1953 – scrutinises the life and work of a man beset by contradictions and demons. He profiles Greenway’s landmark buildings, his meteoric rise and his complex and fraught relationship with Governor Macquarie, along with his thwarted ambitions and self-destruction. All played out in a fledgling colony in the throes of change from far-flung gaol to a society of free settlers.' (Publication summary)

1 Life in Extremis Alasdair McGregor , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , June no. 342 2012; (p. 49-50)

— Review of Aurora : Douglas Mawson and the Australasian Antarctic Expedition : 1911-1914 Beau Riffenburgh , 2011 single work biography
1 Dickens Took Inspiration from Australia Alasdair McGregor , 2012 single work essay
— Appears in: Australian Geographic [Website] , December 2012;
1 Life in Five : Alasdair McGregor, Author Alasdair McGregor , 2011 single work column
— Appears in: Sunday Canberra Times , 24 July 2011; (p. 2)
1 1 y separately published work icon Antarctica : That Sweep of Savage Splendour Alasdair McGregor , Camberwell : Viking , 2011 Z1793646 2011 anthology diary essay short story 'Antarctica looks at Anarctica over time. This book explores the wonders of Antarctica and our shifting responses to them through collected essays, journals, and fiction stories.' (Trove record)
1 5 y separately published work icon Grand Obsessions : The Life and Work of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin Alasdair McGregor , Camberwell : Lantern , 2009 Z1628869 2009 single work biography

'On 23 May 1912, American Walter Burley Griffin was announced to the world as the winner of the international design competition for the new Australian capital to be built on a sheep paddock they called Canberra. Almost a century later, Griffin's design - but most of all its implementation - is still hotly debated. Who was this man and what was his vision? How did he come to Canberra, what happened once the Australian establishment tore him to shreds, and what was the role of his wife, helpmate, fellow architect and equal creative partner, Marion Mahony Griffin?

'In this definitive new biography of Griffin husband and wife, Alasdair McGregor delineates the role each played in the production of their greatest works - Canberra, Castlecrag, Newman College and the rest - and charts their lives, from their childhoods and meeting in Chicago in the employ of the larger than life Frank Lloyd Wright, to their battles in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney, and their swansong in India.

'This is a tale of many parts. It traces the lives of two individuals of great talent and vision and their fight against mediocrity. It is the story of the birth of Canberra, one that tells us as much about the Griffins as it does about ourselves and the troubled birth of the Australian national identity. It is a portrait of a pioneering woman who achieved extraordinary things but was rarely credited with that achievement. And it is an examination of the nature of fame in a young country uncertain of its position in the world.

'The Griffins' story resonates through the years, and their fight to see their idealistic vision realised is one that goes on in Australia today.' (From the publisher's website.)

1 8 y separately published work icon Frank Hurley : A Photographer's Life Alasdair McGregor , Camberwell : Viking , 2004 Z1155504 2004 single work biography
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