Culture

‘It’s Not Just People Talking About Books, These Are Human Stories’: Marieke Hardy

Melbourne Writers Festival Artistic Director is a former child actor. She told our recent Social Club why she's tired of being a media target and how her vision is bringing books to life.

By Natalie Cornish

Culture

Melbourne Writers Festival Artistic Director is a former child actor. She told our recent Social Club why she's tired of being a media target and how her vision is bringing books to life.

By Natalie Cornish

Marieke Hardy grew up in the public eye. The granddaughter of prominent Communist author Frank Hardy, daughter of TV writer parents Alan and Galia and a child star, she came of age in the full glare of the media – something that’s alien to most of us. Her escape, she told Future Women’s Social Club in Melbourne last week, was books.

“I grew up in the public eye which is a pretty raw and vulnerable way to grow up, especially when you’re still testing out who you are,” Marieke said. “I was definitely nose in books from a young age. I used books as most kids do as an escape. I was an only child and home was a bit strange, so I would read at the table, in the car, in bed. Books are an escape but also a great pleasure for me now too.”