Why Voss?

• Author: Holmes, Robyn
• Position: National Library of Australia on Patrick White's novel

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Rarely does an artistic work weave so many cultural influences as to inspire a whole new journey of exploration some 50 years after its creation. Such has been the legacy of Patrick White's novel Voss, first published in 1957 and an iconic Australian narrative of journey, exploration and discovery.

Through a remarkable series of seminars, concerts, events and screenings, held in Canberra between 14 and 17 May, 12 organisations embarked on a unique collaborative venture to explore Voss. Led by the National Film and Sound Archive, with key contributions by the National Library of Australia, AIATSIS, the Australian National University, the National Portrait Gallery and Manning Clark House, 'The Voss Journey' set out to investigate three main strands relating to the novel:

* The novel's sources, meanings and myth-making.

* Its indigenous and...