Nestled on the banks of the Brisbane River, Brisbane is the vibrant capital city of Queensland, Australia. Known for its youthful zeal, stunning natural beauty, and warm climate, Brisbane is a city that effortlessly blends modernity with a laid-back lifestyle. From its bustling urban precincts and lush parklands to its dynamic arts scene and diverse culinary offerings, Brisbane is a city that promises a unique and enriching experience for both locals and visitors. The city of Brisbane, often referred to as "Brissy" by its residents, is the third-largest city in Australia, following Sydney and Melbourne. Its population, which exceeds 2.5 million, is a melting pot of cultures, reflecting the city's welcoming and inclusive spirit. Brisbane's economy is robust, driven by sectors such as technology, finance, education, and tourism, making it a significant economic hub in the Asia-Pacific region. Brisbane's appeal lies in its harmonious blend of urban sophistication and natural charm. The city's skyline, adorned with modern skyscrapers, is complemented by an abundance of green spaces, including the iconic South Bank Parklands and the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. The Brisbane River, meandering through the city, offers a picturesque setting for various recreational activities and forms the heart of the city's identity. As a gateway to some of Queensland's most renowned attractions, such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and the Great Barrier Reef, Brisbane is ideally located for those eager to explore Australia's natural wonders. Moreover, the city's extensive transport network, including its well-connected airport, efficient public transport system, and numerous cycling paths, makes getting around Brisbane both convenient and enjoyable.

In this complex novel from the winner of two of Russia's biggest literary prizes, a celebrated guitarist robbed of his talent by Parkinson's disease seeks other paths to immortality. For readers of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Umberto Eco, and Solzhenitsyn, this richly layered new novel from the author of Laurus follows a musical prodigy in search of inner peace as he faces an incurable disease. Like Vodolazkin's earlier novels, this personal story of a lifetime quest for meaning will resonate with any mortal who has grasped for eternity. At fifty, Gleb Yanovski, an acclaimed guitar virtuoso, is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Gleb accepts an offer from a writer, Sergei Nesterov, to recount his life for a biography. They meet regularly for several years and Gleb recalls his life: a childhood spent in Kiev, university studies in St. Petersburg, and years in Munich, where Gleb lives with his German wife, Katharina, and launches his career, rocketing from a tutor of Russian to a celebrity musician touring major international venues. In the dueling interplay between these first-person recollections and the biographer's narration, Gleb's life unfolds amid his changing attitudes towards music and death; over the years these two obsessions grow inextricably linked. Witnessing a girl drown in the Dnepr River causes Gleb to abandon music school - he sees that death defies music, as it does any other activity. His grandfather points him to religion, through which Gleb comes to see music as a way to overcome time, as a path to eternity. This is why Parkinson's disease shatters Gleb so severely: the illness deprives him of music, his only bulwark against death. And then Gleb meets Vera, an exceptionally gifted thirteen-year-old musician, whom he and his wife embrace as a longed-for daughter. Vera, however, is dying of a rapidly spreading kidney cancer, and their determination to forstall her imminent death is not enough. In his phone conversation with the girl's mentally ill mother, Gleb explains Vera's absence by saying the girl departed for Brisbane. Gleb's mother, too, has moved to Brisbane, the city of her dreams. From there, Greb receives fortuitous phone calls. Expanding the literary universe spun in his previous works, Vodolazkin dwells on time and eternity, belonging and the search for meaning. In Brisbane, the carefully knit stitches unravel into a puzzle: Whose story is it - the subject's or the writer's? Are art and love really no match for death? Is Brisbane our only hope for the future?

Beginning with Native American encampments on the slopes and valleys of San Bruno Mountain, through Spanish occupation and Mexican land grants, to todayas vibrant suburban community, Brisbaneas story is an intriguing one. The town was either named for newspaperman Arthur Brisbane, or for the Australian coastal city of Brisbane, depending on the story. During the Great Depression, many people wanting to escape crowded San Francisco for a simpler, less urban life found it in Brisbane, which began with dairies and ranches and gradually grew up along the hillsides radiating from Visitacion Avenue. Brisbane has always been known for its spirit of independence, and the people here have been able to participate in small-town democracy more fully than in larger cities.

Susanna de Vries, award-winning author, and Jake de Vries, former City Architect of Brisbane, have pooled their talents to compile a joint book on the building of Brisbane, which transports us back to the first years of Brisbane’s bleak existence. The book shows the Convict and Officers Barracks and convicts digging roads along what became Queen Street and North Quay. Professional artist Conrad Martens paints the Customs House and Kangaroo Point. The book recounts the effects of Brisbane’s building boom of the 1880s when everyone borrowed money and major buildings like the Mansions, the old Museum, the second wing of the Post Office and the Treasury are completed. In the depression years of the 1890s some Queensland banks and architects go broke. A visiting Canadian artist named Lefèvre Cranstone draws rural Toowong, the Regatt a Hotel and the Toowong Rowing Club. River Road, [later Coronation Drive], once used for droving cattle from Brookfield, becomes a thoroughfare for the carriages of the wealthy from Indooroopilly and Milton.

Queensland was once a part of New South Wales, only separating from it in 1859. Brisbane developed into a city famous for its sunshine and relaxed atmosphere. Tourists visiting the remarkable natural wonders in the rest of Queensland use Brisbane as their starting point and base, but there is much more to Brisbane than just the city centre. Agriculture and industry across Greater Brisbane contribute to its economy, providing employment for thousands of people. There are still uncrowded beaches and areas of bushland not far from the city centre, and the beautiful islands of Moreton Bay have historic sites that will intrigue any visitor interested in Brisbane's past.

This book describes seminal moments in the history of the capital city of Queensland, which in just one generation has grown from country town to vibrant modern metropolis. It had a tough start. It became a separate state with less financial support from London than any other colony in the mighty British Empire. Almost a century later is was briefly the Allied Forces headquarters for the Pacific War, delighting and depressing its citizens in equal measure. Then it had to shake off corruption in high places before it could realise its great potential. There was some intrigue along the way. Early Brisbane society was enlivened by its own aristocratic Lady Di; a gruesome murder started a dynasty; the Battle of Brisbane was hushed-up to maintain morale; and the local 'Rat Pack' played a rather different Joke. Prior to European settlement - as Meanjin - it was a busy meeting place for the many indigenous clans in the Moreton Bay region.

'Going to the pictures', as we said back in the day, was a memorable childhood adventure because it meant either going to a big, city cinema with our parents or watching a double feature at the local fleapit on a Saturday afternoon. The latter brings back fond memories of rolling Jaffas down the aisles. Admission was only 20 cents and for 10 cents you could buy a drink and a packet of potato chips. But theatres have changed, as has the way movies are presented. Gone are the talented projectionists who dazzled us with real presentation skills. This book is a photographic depiction of how theatres used to be and how some of us think they still should be. Times have changed, but we will always have our silver-screen memories.