Sydney
18 May 2003

Home
Archive
Subscribe
Links
Contact

Blue Wiggle’s wedding ‘a family affair’

Hostility of sexes ‘major threat’

Bishops ‘sent clear message’ on war

‘Standing room only’ at special Mass

Seven generations ...

New movements ‘fruits of Vatican II’

Archbishop questions move to change age of consent

Christian Brothers join call to let Timorese stay

Rosary procession honours Mary Help of Christians

Apology ‘bridge of peace’ for sex slaves

Catholic school popularity ‘a two-edged sword’

Editorial: A tidal change?

Letters: Mixed values?

Conversation: Dr Vivienne Keely CHF, historian and author - ‘Pamphlet’ on convict priest grew into book

Poverty and the ‘two-nation’ notion

School’s visual reminder of love

Inspirations: Faith, teaching boys and Saving Francesca

Galileo, the Church and the centre of the universe

Salesian needs in India, Timor

Facelift for Ashfield’s grand old lady

Inspirations: Faith, teaching boys and Saving Francesca

By Damir Govorcin

“My faith is all about finding my own place with it,” says Melina Marchetta, author of award-winning and bestselling novel Looking for Alibrandi.

“Being raised a Catholic, faith was the main focus of my upbringing and it taught me a lot about the values of morality.

“My mother, in particular, was devoted to her beliefs and what struck me was the fact there was nothing fake about them.

“My views sometimes differ to that of my parents, but there’s no doubt my faith has given me a solid grounding in life.”

You sense Melina isn’t comfortable being in the spotlight.

She feels more at home teaching the boys at St Mary’s Cathedral College, Sydney, rather than opening herself up to the media.

However, the life of this third-generation Italian Australian from Concord changed when her debut novel, Looking for Alibrandi, burst on to the scene in 1992, generating enormous interest among teenage and adult readers.

It has sold more than 500,000 copies in Australia and was made into a movie - starring Pia Miranda, Anthony La Paglia and Greta Scacchi - which was a box office hit and attracted a string of awards.

The novel, which also earned Melina a swag of literary gongs, including the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award in 1993, is now an HSC text.

Melina is on the publicity trail again, promoting her second novel, Saving Francesca.

“Writing Alibrandi has changed my life,” she says.

“It gave me the confidence to write my second book and I’m just happy Alibrandi has touched so many people in a positive way.”

She believes the reason the book and film captured the public’s imagination is that it touches on the universal theme of identity.

“You don’t have to come from the same cultural background to identify with Alibrandi because what we all have in common is that we are searching for our place,” she says.

“In the case of Alibrandi it’s about cultural identity … where do I belong in the scheme of things?

“Alibrandi is not about me, it’s about my world. It’s about my world 20 years ago growing up in Sydney, going to a Catholic school, and my Italian family.”

Melina had a hands-on role with the film, writing the script to ensure there were no “big surprises”.

She was delighted with the finished product, particularly the performance of Pia Miranda in the lead role of Josie Alibrandi.

“Pia brought a vulnerability to Josie that might not appear in the novel,” says Melina.

“In the novel, Josie comes across as a bit sarcastic, but in the film Pia portrayed a softer side to her.

“The novel and film are different, which is something I really like.”

Melina, 38, is sandwiched in between older sister Marisa, who works in the fashion industry, and younger sister Daniela, who runs a public relations company.

She attended Rosebank College, Five Dock, before leaving school at 15.

She worked in a bank until, at 25, she left to study for a bachelor of education degree at the Australian Catholic University.

Her first teaching job was at Killara High School.

But she wanted to teach in a Catholic school so, for the past seven years, she has been on the staff of St Mary’s Cathedral College, in the city, where she

teaches English and Religion and is also the Year 10 co-ordinator.

“I like the values that are taught at a Catholic school and the environment created benefits the staff and students,” Melina says.

“Teaching in a boys’ school is a totally different world to what I’m used to, especially coming from a family of all girls.

“You can’t afford to be complacent with boys, because it’s hard to understand how they tick.”

Melina sees teaching as “a comfortable job”, but says it has “a lot of twists and turns”.

“It’s good to work with great people because even the really bad moments are made easier with quality people around you,” she says.

“My teaching means a lot to me and the people I have met in that profession have had such a great impact on my life.”

Melina makes no apologies for the 11-year gap between Looking for Alibrandi and her follow-up novel, Saving Francesca.

“Most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing and I don’t write for the sake of it,” she says.

“It took 11 years for this story to come together and I’m proud of the finished product.

“People have asked where I have been for the past 11 years.

“In that time I have been teaching, I got a degree and wrote a film script.”

Melina says Saving Francesca is about “working out who you are and what your place is in a completely

foreign environment where those strong forces around you are no longer there”.

“Saving Francesca is different to Alibrandi in the sense that this girl is at a boys’ school that has just accepted girls and has left her friends behind,” she says.

“Her mother suffers from depression and a lot of people have defined who she is for the last four years.

“The difference between the books is that Josie

verbalises everything she is thinking, while Francesca internalises everything.

“Both girls come to the same point of working out who they are, but in different ways.”

Melina has received offers to turn Saving Francesca into a film, too, but she wants to let the novel have life of its own.

“I wrote it as a novel and that’s how I want it to stay at least for a couple of years,” she says.

She is looking to write more film scripts, though, and to tackle a third novel.

For now, she has turned her focus to helping co-write the school concert.

“The pressure is on to come up with something good because you have to make a lot of people happy,” she says.

Saving Francesca, Penguin Books, RRP $24.95.