Lesley Truffle - Writer

  • Home
  • Reflections
  • Books
  • About
  • More
  • Contact

On Being Fabulous

February 20, 2019 by Lesley Truffle

    On Being Fabulous   Two nights ago I attended Madison Moore’s performative presentation at the National Art Gallery, Melbourne. Madison began his lecture dressed casually in gym gear but while talking about his influences growing up and how it felt to be marginalised, he slowly began a transformation. Madison began by cutting and … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, books, Fashion, Mavericks & Renegades, Social Comment, Writers & Readers Events Tagged: Dr Madison Moore, Fabulous The Rise of the Beautiful Eccentric, Fabulousness, Madison Moore, Prince

Devilish Desires

February 14, 2019 by Lesley Truffle

  Devilish Desires   I’ve just reread Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it has dazzled me yet again. My favourite line is, ‘The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.’ The characters throw themselves around dramatically and they rarely ever sit quietly. They fling themselves … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, books, Fashion, Mavericks & Renegades, Social Comment, writers & creatives Tagged: Dorian Gray, Lesley Truffle, Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde

We all dress for Bill

January 24, 2019 by Lesley Truffle

We all dress for Bill   I never met the New York Times photographer William J. Cunningham but he was definitely one of my most favourite people. Wearing his trademark blue French workman’s jacket, Bill Cunningham peddled around New York on his bicycle, taking photographs of street fashion for his On the Street column. Bill’s … [Read more…]

Posted in: books, Fashion, Social Comment, Uptown Downtown, writers & creatives Tagged: Bill Cunningham, Evening Hours, Fashion Climbing, hat designer, mid-century, New York, New York Life, New York Times, On the Street, photography, street fashion, street photography, William J

Fishy Tales

January 16, 2019 by Lesley Truffle

  Fishy Tales   Your average goldfish has been known to live up to 40 years or older – if they’re lucky. Unfortunately domestic tanks are not conducive to longevity in goldfish. And then of course there’s all manner of predators both domestic and feral. It was reported recently that a British woman, Tanya, had … [Read more…]

Posted in: animals, art/theatre event, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Davo, fish, fishnapping, goldfish, petnapping, pets, playwright, theatre

There’s Something About Henry

December 23, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

                                                     There’s Something About Henry   King Henry the Eighth has been receiving bad press for centuries and Shakespeare, along with later writers and playwrights, got in on the act. Henry’s life fascinated everybody. He married six wives and distinguished himself by divorcing/annulling two wives and cruelly executing another two. His first wife died … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, Film, Mavericks & Renegades, Social Comment Tagged: Alexander Korda, Anne Boleyn, film, films, Henry the Eighth, Henry V111, Lesley Truffle, The Private Life of Henry, the Tudors, William Shakespeare

I Want That Cake

December 7, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  I Want That Cake   ‘Let there be no shame on me tonight!’ Prince Wenzel von Metternich, 1832.   The narrator of my novel, The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte, was named in honour of a very famous cake. Sasha Torte is a world-class Tasmanian pastry chef and she establishes her magnificent cake emporium in … [Read more…]

Posted in: cakes and cooking, Mavericks & Renegades, Social Comment, writers & creatives Tagged: Anna Maria Sacher, cake, cakes, Eduard Sacha, Franz Sacha, Hotel Sacha, Lesley Truffle, NationalSachaTorteDay, Sacher-Torte, Sasher Torte, The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte, Vienna

Vive la France

November 24, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  Vive la France! I’m thinking of taking a trip to Europe next year and Paris is already on the itinerary. I’ve been there a few times but too much Paris is never enough. Cole Porter wrote the lyrics to I Love Paris and just about everyone recorded it. Frank Sinatra sang it for decades, … [Read more…]

Posted in: Film, Mavericks & Renegades, Observations Tagged: Audrey Hepburn, Billy Wilder, Cinema du look, Diva, France, Frank Sinatra, French film, French films, Humphrey Bogart, I love Paris, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Lesley Truffle, Paris, Sabrina

Screaming Quietly

November 23, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

Screaming Quietly   The place is very well and quiet and the children only scream in a low voice.                                                                                                 Lord Byron 1813   The poet Lord George Byron was a rake and a hellraiser who also happened to enjoy his own company and the solace of silence. Apparently he wrote much … [Read more…]

Posted in: Mavericks & Renegades, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Byron, high density living, Lord Byron, Lord George Byron, neighbours, noise

More chamapagne please

October 21, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

More champagne please   When I was a child, my mother used to play vintage movie songs and the lyrics to Gigi were: The night they invented champagne It’s plain as it can be They thought of you and me The night they invented champagne They absolutely knew That all we’d want to do is … [Read more…]

Posted in: Observations, Social Comment Tagged: champagne, cocktails, Cointreau, Golden Dreams, nightclubs, Veuve Cliquot

We are amused

October 13, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  We Are Amused   What is it that strikes a spark of humor from a man? It is the effort to throw off, to fight back the burden of grief that is laid on each one of us.                                                                                                                                                      … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, Observations, Psychology, Social Comment, writers & creatives Tagged: Gustave H, Humor, Humour, Jim Carrey, Kidding, Lesley Truffle, Mark Twain, Monsieur Gustave H, Psychology, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson

Mirka’s Story

September 28, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  Mirka Mora 1928-2018 ‘Every time you show your work, you really show your soul.’   Mirka I never met Mirka Mora, but she became one of my most favourite people. I only know Mirka through her paintings and her wonderful autobiography, Wicked but Virtuous; My Life. Whenever I stop to look at Mirka’s murals – they … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, books, Mavericks & Renegades, Melbourne, Social Comment, writers & creatives Tagged: Auschwitz, Carrillo Gantner, Georges Mora, Lesley Truffle, Marcel Marceau, Melbourne, Mirka Mora, Monsieur Mayonnaise, Nazis, Philippe Mora, Wicked but Virtuous

Home Sweet Home

September 10, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  Home Sweet Home   One of the questions I’ve often been asked is – how autobiographical is The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte? Given that Sasha Torte is sabotaged by abusive and neglectful parenting, escalating depression and a later addiction to opium, laudanum, champagne, piratical men and hard liquor, the question becomes loaded and … [Read more…]

Posted in: books, Observations, Psychology, Social Comment, Television series, writers & creatives Tagged: At Last, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dr Drew Pinsky, Drew Pinskey, Edward St Aubyn, Lesley Truffle, Patrick Melrose, The Melrose Family, The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte

Dangerous Books

August 29, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  I’ve frequently been asked by other writers and readers – what are the books that meant a lot to me growing up? And which particular books are my standout, all-time favourites? This is an extremely difficult question because there are so many books that I love! And when things get a tad tricky and … [Read more…]

Posted in: books, Mavericks & Renegades, Observations, Psychology, writers & creatives Tagged: Ada, Casanova, Eloise, Emily Brontë, Giacomo Casanova, History of My Life, Kay Thompson, Lesley Truffle, Lolita, Nabokov, Vladamir Nabokov, Wuthering Heights

A Room of One’s Own and other Catastrophes

August 26, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  In a recent interview journalist and former editor, Michael Gawenda, said of his son Husky Gawenda, ‘He can spend a lot of time by himself in his room. If you’re going to be a writer you have to be lonely in some way.’ (from ‘The Two of Us’. The AGE Good Weekend, 11August  2018). … [Read more…]

Posted in: books, Mavericks & Renegades, Observations, Psychology, writers & creatives Tagged: Emily Brontë, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Meyers, Lesley Truffle, Michael Gawenda, Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Virginia Woolf, Wuthering Heights

On Being Zen

July 26, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

‘The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it’s giving a fuck about less, giving a fuck about what is true and immediate and important.’   Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck : A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life.   Despite its screaming orange … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, books, Mavericks & Renegades Tagged: Andy Warhol, Lesley Truffle, Mark Manson, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, The subtle art of not giving a fuck

The Bees Knees

July 15, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  If you’ve ever been stung by a bee you probably got the impression that bees are quite hardy creatures.  I accidentally trod on an unsuspecting bee, in bare feet, when I was a kid and his sting was excruciatingly painful. The adults in charge couldn’t seem to decide how best to handle the situation. … [Read more…]

Posted in: Observations, Social Comment, Uptown Downtown Tagged: bees, Bonaparte, cocktails, golden bees, honey, Lesley Truffle, Mayfair Hotel, Napoleon Bonaparte, The Urban Beehive, VIcky Brown

Me and Eloise

June 27, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

    Eloise and I go way back. At about seven I discovered six-year-old Eloise. She was parent-free, running amuck in the Plaza New York and Paris, with her nanny, a pug and a turtle. I didn’t find it strange that Eloise exercised with champagne bottles, as my sister and I had hidden a bottle … [Read more…]

Posted in: books, Observations, Social Comment, writers & creatives Tagged: Eloise, Eloise in Paris, Hilary Knight, Kay Thompson, Lesley Truffle

The Midnight Hours

June 24, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  ‘Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care, the death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath, balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourisher in life’s feast.’                                                                                                             William Shakespeare   Shakespeare knew a lot about sleep, especially insomnia. He often alluded to the fact that sleep is crucial to … [Read more…]

Posted in: art/theatre event, Observations, Psychology Tagged: Lady Macbeth, Lesley Truffle, Macbeth, Shakespeare, Sleep

Goodbye to Autumn

May 31, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

    It’s great. Having an autumn lie-in. As the host. Haiku by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)   Today is the last day of our autumn and tomorrow winter comes to town. It’s been a superb autumn; because it’s been so dry, the leaf colours have been exceptional. There’s been whole carpets of gold and red leaves … [Read more…]

Posted in: Melbourne, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Autumn, Basho, Lesley Truffle, Marcel Proust, Matsuo Basho, memories, Proust

Ode to an Old School Pub

May 24, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  I often sneak back to the old neighbourhood to meet friends. It’s become increasingly gentrified; old houses have been tizzied up and sold for exceedingly high prices. Subsequently many of the artists, writers, junkies, musicians, booze hounds, photographers, dressmakers, poets and reprobates, I once knew have moved on. Some wisely moved up the coast … [Read more…]

Posted in: Mavericks & Renegades, Melbourne, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: facadism, Fitzroy, gentrification, Lesley Truffle, Napier Hotel, Napier Hotel Fitzroy, old buildings, old school pubs, pubs

Our House

April 26, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

    I was born in London but raised in Australia by English parents. The second house we lived in was referred to by my mother’s friends as ‘ Little England ’ , while some local kids rudely called it ‘ The Addam’s Family House ’. I thought the insult gave our place cachet, as … [Read more…]

Posted in: Mavericks & Renegades, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: Addam's Family, homes, houses, Lesley Truffle, The English

The Mad Boy

April 20, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  Lord Gerald Berners was a talented musician and painter. He also wrote for the stage and his impressionistic paintings continue to sell well today (that’s Gerald in the photograph above). He converted Faringdon House, in Oxfordshire England, into a luxurious country mansion that soon had England’s fashion set vying for a weekend invitation. Exquisite … [Read more…]

Posted in: animals, art/theatre event, books, Mavericks & Renegades Tagged: Cecil Beaton, Gerald Berners, Lesley Truffle, Lord Berners, Robert Heber Percy, Sofka Zinovieff

Freud’s Cigar

March 2, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  ‘Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts.’ Dr Sigmund Freud 1856 -1939.   In my novel The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte, Sasha is introduced to the famous Austrian neurologist Dr Sigmund Freud, at The Sperl Café in Vienna. Sasha Torte – world famous Tasmanian pastry chef – is … [Read more…]

Posted in: Psychology, Social Comment, writers & creatives Tagged: Carl Jung, Dr Sigmund Freud, Freud, Freud's cigar, Jung, Lesley Truffle, Sasha Torte, Sigmund Freud, The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte

The Dangers of Fancy Cooking

February 22, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  When I was a child I couldn’t understand why a large part of the world lacked essential food and clean water – and were frequently starving – while the rest of the world were either dieting like fiends or noshing on exotic food stuffs in fancy expensive restaurants. Not much has changed. I find … [Read more…]

Posted in: cakes and cooking, Melbourne, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: AA Gill, Anthony Bourdain, Celebrity Chefs, Cuisine, Food, Lesley Truffle, Richard Cornish

The Perils of Television

February 9, 2018 by Lesley Truffle

  I no longer own a television. I only ever used my TV to watch DVD movies and most of the time I preferred watching movies at the cinema. I love the occasion of going out to the cinema with friends and being part of an audience. I sold my television some time back when … [Read more…]

Posted in: books, Observations, Social Comment Tagged: David Attenborough, Farenheit 451, Lesley Truffle, Ray Bradbury, reality television, Television, TV
1 2 3 Next »

Recent Posts

  • On Being Fabulous
  • Devilish Desires
  • We all dress for Bill
  • Fishy Tales
  • There’s Something About Henry

Categories

  • animals
  • art/theatre event
  • books
  • cakes and cooking
  • Fashion
  • Film
  • Mavericks & Renegades
  • Melbourne
  • Observations
  • Psychology
  • Social Comment
  • Sports / Recreation
  • Television series
  • Uptown Downtown
  • Wilderness Areas
  • writers & creatives
  • Writers & Readers Events

Copyright © 2019 Lesley Truffle - Writer.

Lifestyle WordPress Theme by themehit.com