THE LONGEST DAY OF MY LIFE by Peter D. Douglas
A Masterpiece! -- Barbara Mee
Enthralling, horrific, hilarious, an absolute page turner--Joe Inguanez, author, playwright.
About the book
Peter Douglas was born in Wembley, London, in 1956. He migrated, with his parents, to South Australia in 1965 on the ten-pound assisted passage, settling in Elizabeth. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1972 and served for five long years. Now a freelance musician, actor, director, producer, writer, and maker of theatre, television and film, Peter began writing The Longest Day of My Life in 2018. A narrative memoir, Peter’s life story includes a cast of eccentric and mad characters, which drives the reader through a battlefield of emotional extremes. This is Peter’s life growing up, and the painful dramas, he relived in years of psychoanalytic therapy, have been recreated here to engage the reader, and shine light on historical abuses the author has endured and survived. The biographical material, in places hilarious, ludicrous and appalling, he hopes, will keep the pages turning, and thus reveal the truths that lie therein.
ISBN: 9781764123457 234 x 153mm, 322pp
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Peter D. Douglas describes himself as a freelance musician, actor, director, producer, writer, and maker of theatre, television and film. Peter began writing The Longest Day of My Life in 2018 as a narrative memoir that includes a cast of eccentric and mad characters, which drives the reader through a battlefield of emotional extremes. This was Peter’s life growing up, and these painful dramas had been relived in years of psychoanalytic therapy. This biographical material, in places hilarious, ludicrous and appalling, he hopes, will engage the reader, keep the pages turning, and thus reveal the truths that lie therein. Peter Douglas was born in Wembley, London, in 1956. He migrated, with his parents, to South Australia in 1965 on the ten-pound assisted passage, settling in Elizabeth. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1972. He served for five long years, after which he was able to leave, ostensibly to assist in his father’s business.
He completed adult matriculation in 1976 and then enrolled in an arts degree at Flinders University in 1977, and worked as a busker to make ends meet. He also joined a street theatre group: Bash Street Kids. Together they also formed a rock cabaret band called Black Diamond Corner, which toured and made records.
In 1990 with a Master of Arts degree completed, Peter ventured into the world of script writing and television. Between 1995-2000 Peter was a Senior Producer, Writer and Director, of the television program Here’s Humphrey, which Peter also co-starred in. Along with the team at Banksia Productions, they took Humphrey to Hollywood, and screened him around the world in fifty languages. The show won multi-Australian Logie television awards.
Between 2002-2008 Peter was a lecturer in English at the University of Adelaide, and shifted into the role of mentor for indigenous students through Wilto Yerlo until 2012.
Apart from The Abandonment Neurosis, which was published by Karnac Books in 2016, Peter has also published, with Intervention Books, in 2024, a chapter, ‘Adelaide New Theatre’, in their anthology on Australian New Theatre.
...It's a survivor’s memoir that moves from the bewilderment of the writer as a child, coming to terms with both his own life and those of his parents, which so impacted upon him. … Intelligently and flawlessly written. - - Pip Leewin, Bibliophile.
A larger than life story meticulously told with gritty panache. Peter Douglas adds a new voice to his generation turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Wit, wisdom and resilience beautifully embedded in every page. - - Keith Preston
Enthralling, horrific, hilarious, an absolute page turner. - - Joe Inguanez, author, playwright.
...What a book. As Joe Inguanez says: it is an absolute page turner, enthralling, horrific and hilarious. Although grim in parts, Peter DOUGLAS has certainly managed to make those sections extremely lively and readable. The author's imagination knows no bounds and I do wonder what it must be like inside his head. Peter, you have written a wonderful book. Thank you for sharing all your stories - so traumatic, and as I can imagine, hard to revive. - - Sarah Gordon Smith
... What a page turner, I couldn't put it down. It made me laugh out loud and cry like a baby. What a life Peter DOUGLAS has had, the descriptions are incredible, I hope the author is proud of this masterpiece. - - Barbara Mee
