1996 Adelaide International Festival
Featuring Kate Ceberano
Solstice is a novel in verse set over the twenty-four hours of the longest day of the year, in Adelaide. It is a story of love and exploration told in the sonnet form, one verse for each few minutes of the day. It shows how much can change in a day—the whole world, and at the same time nothing at all.
Solstice was shortlisted for the 1993 Australian/Vogel Award and was published by Allen & Unwin in 1994. It is not currently in print but can often be found in second-hand bookstores. The sequel to Solstice, Equinox, is currently being serialised on the Sydney Morning Herald website.
A stage adaptation of Solstice was commissioned by the South Australian Theatre Company in conjunction with Magpie Theatre and was first performed in Barrie Kosky’s 1996 Adelaide Festival, directed by Neill Gladwin. It starred Kate Ceberano, Nadine Garner, Kate Kendall, Mark Saturno, Jules Sobotta, Bronwen James and Phil Spruce, and featured live jazz by Barney McAll, Jonathan Zwartz and Hamish Stuart.
The picture above is one of many fine illustrations prepared for the book by Simon Killalea.
