Accessibility Tools

  • Content scaling 100%
  • Font size 100%
  • Line height 100%
  • Letter spacing 100%

Frank Lowy: A Second Life by Jill Margo

by
December 2015, no. 377

Frank Lowy: A Second Life by Jill Margo

HarperCollins, $49.95 hb, 526 pp, 9780732287788

Frank Lowy: A Second Life by Jill Margo

by
December 2015, no. 377

'Let us now praise famous men / ... men renowned for their power ... / Leaders of the people by their counsels ... wise and eloquent / ... Rich men furnished with ability, living peaceably in their habitations ...'

These aspirations, from Apocrypha: Sirach 44, pose some problems for a biographer. The famous, the powerful, the leaders, the wise and eloquent, the rich and able would all seem to be among the proper and the more obvious and manageable subjects of biography. But this is, of course, a delusion. Success and wealth breed ego, and egos often crave cosseting and recognition. With the best will in the world, biographers praising 'famous men' are haunted by the spectre of hagiography.

In Frank Lowy: A Second Life, Jill Margo has certainly faced this challenge. Frank Lowy is unquestionably famous, rich, has been an outstanding leader in several spheres of endeavour, has often been a wise counsellor, and, without being egotistical, has a sturdy faith in his own abilities, influence, and presence.

Brian Matthews reviews 'Frank Lowy' by Jill Margo

Frank Lowy: A Second Life

by Jill Margo

HarperCollins, $49.95 hb, 526 pp, 9780732287788

From the New Issue

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.

If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.

Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.