Holidaying in Tuscany, I once met an escapee from a Glenn Murcutt lecture. The class of American students had flown from New York to be immersed, in the modern manner, in six weeks of architecture beside an Italian beach. Murcutt delivered the first lecture.

His first words were never to think of applying for a job with him, as every student across the globe wanted to work for him and he didn’t employ students. Work for him — good God! He went on for three and a half hours and I couldn’t get away quickly enough.

Of course, the wider Tuscan landscape could tempt even the most earnest student, but readers of Françoise Fromonot’s book will feel some sympathy for my student.

Murcutt is probably Australia’s best-known architect internationally. Although he builds only in this country, he teaches and lectures, takes part in juries, and wins great acclaim, around the world. The breadth of this acclaim is remarkable, and includes the Alvar Aalto Medal, the Richard Neutra Award for Architecture and Teaching, the Thomas Jefferson Medal for Architecture, and, most recently, the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize.