Patricia Azarias

Patricia Azarias

Writer · Translator · Co-founder of the Lysicrates Prize

Born in Egypt, raised in Sydney, educated at Sydney, Oxford and Princeton. A career at the United Nations and in the New South Wales public service; fifteen boards; a foundation for Australian playwrights — and now two books: a search through her mother's hidden papers for the secrets of wartime Cairo, and a new translation of a French classic.

The books Her journey
Dr Patricia Azarias
Sol, Patricia's mother, in profile
Sol
Max, Patricia's father
Max
Amaury, a young man in uniform
Amaury

The book

The Secrets of the Blue Box

Cairo 1942 — My Search for Sol, her Spies and her People

About the book ↓

Books

Writing & translating

The Secrets of the Blue Box

Cairo 1942 — My Search for Sol, her Spies and her People

By Patricia Azarias. Based on her doctoral research at the University of Technology Sydney.

The day I buried my mother I finally opened the box she had hidden on the top shelf of her wardrobe, and for the first time I understood who she had been.— the opening sentence

“I was hooked reading it and couldn't put it down … It tells a fabulous story, or rather three interlocking stories, all of which derive from the discovery of a cache of hidden family secrets, deposited by the author's mother.”

Prof. Bill Schwartz, University of London

“I can see this become an instant best seller.” — Prof. Ana Gomez-Bravo, University of Washington

Contents — Revelations

  1. Amaury's Story — Amaury and Egon: the secret Naples mission
  2. Max's Story — From a jeep in Cairo
  3. Sol's Story — The Green Phone; five uprootings, five exiles

followed by Culminations and Acknowledgements

Buy the book (link to come)

[Publisher, year] · [ISBN]

The Fat and the Lean

Tales of Occupied Paris

A novel by Jean Dutourd. Translated by Patricia Azarias, with introduction and notes, and with the support of the heirs of Jean Dutourd. First published in French as Au Bon Beurre in 1952, it has never been out of print since 1954 and was serialised for television.

The funniest novel about occupied Paris you've never read – a best seller for decades, by one of France's most brilliant and storied authors, Resistance hero, working journalist, distinguished member of the Académie Française, Jean Dutourd.

It's time for English readers to visit Paris in the 1940s and meet Léon, Madeleine, Charles-Hubert and Julie.

Here's a sparkling new translation by Patricia Azarias, with a charming, illuminating introduction and plenty of notes.

Buy the book (link to come)

[Publisher, year] · [ISBN]

A condensed CV

The Journey

Nine places, in the order she lived in them. Choose a stop to see what happened there.

Stop 1 of 9

Cairo

Born in Egypt, the daughter of Max, a British intelligence officer, and Sol, a Spanish Jewish mother.

With a stop selected, the left and right arrow keys move along the line.

Philanthropy

The Lysicrates Foundation

With her husband, Patricia created a philanthropic foundation to support Australian playwrights and teach children about democracy. She is its co-founder, organiser and fundraiser.

Children in the audience at the Martin-Lysicrates Prize

The Martin-Lysicrates Prize

For plays written for children

Giving kids their first experience of the democratic vote

martinlysicrates.com.au
Golden voting urns on a table in the theatre foyer Schoolchildren casting their votes into golden urns
At both prizes the audience chooses the winning play by dropping tokens into golden urns.

Also

Other chapters

Patricia Azarias at the United Nations

United Nations

The most senior Australian in the UN at the time, Patricia headed the UN's Internal Audit Division, examining the operations of all the large UN departments, as well as all the UN's peacekeeping operations.

“I was nine years old when my father first told me about Dag Hammarskjold and the United Nations, and, small as I was, I was sure right away that the United Nations was where I wanted to work.”

SafeMate

With her husband, Patricia established SafeMate Australia Pty Ltd, which assists first responders at a medical emergency to provide rapid, targeted help to the patient.

getsafemate.com

Boards

Patricia served on 15 Boards and committees, including SBS Television and Radio, South East Sydney Local Health District, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Pillar Superannuation.

Contact

Write to Patricia