Dr Patricia Azarias — Writer, Translator, Philanthropist, Senior UN Official

01 — The Writer

The Secrets of the Blue Box

Cairo 1942 — My Search for Sol, her Spies and her People. A daughter’s search through a hidden box of family secrets.

“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.” So begins The Secrets of the Blue Box.

Written as Patricia’s doctorate at the University of Technology Sydney, the book tells three interlocking stories — Amaury’s, Max’s and Sol’s — all of which derive from the discovery of a cache of hidden family secrets, deposited by the author’s mother. Their focal point is the apartment at 19 rue Hawayati in Cairo where, Patricia suggests, “three empires met”.

“This is a magnificent doctorate. I was hooked reading it and couldn’t put it down.”

Prof. Bill Schwartz, University of London, examiner

Sepia oval portrait of a young man in uniform — AmauryAmaury’s Story

Sepia oval portrait of a bearded man — MaxMax’s Story

SolSol’s Story

[Portrait identities to be confirmed with Patricia]

From the contents

Revelations — Amaury’s Story · Max’s Story · Sol’s Story
Culminations
Acknowledgements

02 — The Translator

The Fat and the Lean

Tales of Occupied Paris. A novel by Jean Dutourd, translated by Patricia Azarias, with introduction and notes.

Watercolour of a German officer carrying a baguette and string shopping bags — Cover art: a German officer and his shopping. [Rights to confirm]

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 Academie Francaise, Jean Dutourd.

It’s time for English readers to visit Paris in the 1940s and meet Leon, Madeleine, Charles-Hubert and Julie. Here’s a sparkling new translation by Patricia Azarias, with a charming, illuminating introduction and plenty of notes.

The original, Au Bon Beurre, has never been out of print since 1954 and was serialized for television.

Read an excerpt: the Poissonards take the train

From The Fat and the Lean

Once they were sitting down in their compartment, the Poissonards unwrapped their provisions. Even though the train took eighteen hours to get to Vichy, even though they beefed and porked every half hour, they still did not manage to get to the end of their supplies. Their travelling companions gazed at them with demented eyes. Between mouthfuls, the Poissonards lectured them about morality and politics.

“The funniest novel about occupied Paris you’ve never read.”

From the publisher’s description

03 — A Life

An Eventful Life

Eight chapters, from Cairo to Sydney and back again. Scroll, and the place keeps pace with you.

Chapter 1 — Cairo

Born in Egypt

Patricia was born in Egypt, the daughter of Max, a British intelligence officer, and Sol, a Spanish Jewish mother. Sol’s apartment on the rue Hawayati in Cairo — where, Patricia suggests, “three empires met” — is the focal point of The Secrets of the Blue Box.

Chapter 2 — Sydney

Three discoveries

Patricia came to Australia as a child. In Sydney, she made three life-changing discoveries – at nine, the Iliad, and the United Nations; and at 17, the music of Mozart.

“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.”
Patricia, interviewed in network, the UN Women’s Newsletter

Chapter 3 — Oxford and Princeton

Studies abroad

Studies at Oxford and Princeton followed. Patricia has degrees from Sydney, Oxford and Princeton Universities, and her main field of study has been economics.

Chapter 4 — UNDP and Zimbabwe

The first job

Her first job was in the UN Development Program: almost nine years of constant travel, including three years of field service in Zimbabwe. There she met her husband Yannis, a Greek diplomat.

Chapter 5 — Saudi Arabia

A regional bank, and a family

For personal reasons she left the UN service and went to do cost-benefit analyses for a regional bank in Saudi Arabia. Their two children were born there.

Chapter 6 — New South Wales Parliament

Public accounts

Returning to Sydney after nearly 20 years, Patricia was for ten years Director of the Public Accounts Committee in the Parliament of New South Wales, serving through two changes of government. There she led a team researching and writing extensive management and financial reviews of a wide range of government agencies. Later she served as Chief Executive of the Ministry of Infrastructure Management in New South Wales.

Chapter 7 — United Nations, New York

Director of Internal Audit

Back in New York, as the most senior Australian in the UN at the time, Patricia was appointed Director of the UN’s Internal Audit Division in the Office of Internal Oversight Services, examining the operations of all the large UN departments, as well as all the UN’s peacekeeping operations.

“Don’t be afraid of anything. Go for it. Do it. Say it. Ask for it. Take it. Nothing is really stopping you.”
Patricia, interviewed in network, the UN Women’s Newsletter

Patricia Azarias at the United Nations — At the United Nations, from *network*, the UN Women’s Newsletter

Chapter 8 — Sydney again

Banker, doctor, translator, founder

When she returned to Sydney, she briefly became a banker, wrote a Ph.D. about her extraordinary mother Sol, translated a landmark work of French literature, served on 15 boards, and, with her husband, created a new health-related business and a philanthropic foundation to support Australian playwrights and teach children about democracy.

04 — The Prize

The Lysicrates Foundation

Co-Founder, Organiser and Fundraiser of two prizes for new Australian plays — one for adults, one for children — decided by the audience’s vote.

A theatre audience at the Lysicrates Prize — The audience at the Lysicrates Prize

Three golden voting urns on a table, with audience members placing their votes — The golden urns, one for each play

Children in the audience at the Martin-Lysicrates Prize — Children at the Martin-Lysicrates Prize

Children dropping voting tokens into golden urns — Casting a first vote [Photo credits to confirm]

The Lysicrates Prize

For plays written for adults

Supporting young Australian playwrights

lysicratesfoundation.org.au

The Martin-Lysicrates Prize

For plays written for children

Giving kids their first experience of the democratic vote

martinlysicrates.com.au

How the vote works

The golden urns

The audience votes by dropping tokens into golden urns.

05 — Also

Also

United Nations

Senior UN official

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.

SafeMate

Your lifeline in a medical emergency

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

Board director

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.

06 — Contact

Write to Patricia

patricialouiseazarias@gmail.com