My Father's Shadow

Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo

My Father's Shadow
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Monash University Publishing
Country
Australia
Published
1 September 2023
Pages
320
ISBN
9781922979186

My Father’s Shadow

Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo

Sandra Goldbloom Zurbo grew up in thrall to her father, a prominent socialist and covert member of the Communist Party. From an early age, she adopted his political beliefs, becoming a supporter of the Soviet Union and an anti-war advocate. She travelled with him, meeting figures such as Indonesian president Soekarno, and greeting Paul Robeson and North Korean delegates at home.

But Sam could be withholding and difficult. He had a fierce temper and a sharp backhand and was not always a faithful family man. When Sandra entered adulthood and began to navigate a patriarchal world of work and relationships, she came to question aspects of her father's worldview. As the communist ideals of the Left were tested and faltered over the Soviet Union, the mood of the times gradually shifted to embrace the counterculture. Sandra, working in the artistic swirl of Melbourne's Pram Factory and the lively independent publishing scene, absorbed ideas about women, family and Jewish culture that often led to tense conversations with her father. When Sam falls sick and hopes to end his suffering, his daughter's devotion undergoes a final test.

My Father's Shadow is a portrait of life on the Left during a time of great social change. Lyrical, sharply observed and affecting, it is a candid exploration of the fraught dynamics between father and daughter - and, ultimately, the love that underlies them.

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