‘O’Neill manages to make a biography of a flower feel like something of a detective novel, love story, historical drama and horticultural research paper rolled into one.’
— Meghan Backhouse, Reveiwer, Spectrum
Daffodil – Biography of a Flower is the story of the first flower of spring, and what it has symbolised to different civilizations throughout history. Called “Narcissus” by the Greeks, used by the Romans as a guarantee of passage into the afterlife, and embraced as a symbol of hope in the modern era, becoming the emblem for the Australian Cancer Council and mascot for cancer fundraising.
A narrative that progresses from superstition and myth, encompassing politics, religion, greed, redemption, love and hope. This lavishly illustrated, beautiful and intriguing book, tells the story of humanity through the biography of a flower.
Helen O’Neill is British-born, Australian-based freelance writer and author, whose work resonates across the world.
A former staff journalist on The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and Vogue Australia, her work has been published in titles as diverse as The Independent, The Observer and The Telegraph newspapers in the UK, USA’s Marie Claire magazine and Reader’s Digest worldwide. Documentaries she has worked on have won awards internationally, with one screening in over 200 countries on the same day.
Helen O’Neill has written five books, including her beautiful, just-released Daffodil – Biography of a Flower (HarperCollins), A Singular Vision: Harry Seidler (HarperCollins), David Jones’ 175 Years (NewSouth Books) and her award-winning biography Florence Broadhurst – Her Secret and Extraordinary Lives (Hardie Grant) that has appeared in multiple editions in Australia, the UK and the USA.
Helen currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Australian Society of Authors and Copyright Agency.
Join best-selling and award-winning author Helen O’Neill in the Tom Keneally Centre for the story of the Daffodil, celebrating the flower’s place in myth, politics, art, religion, science, poetry and love.
A beautifully illustrated and moving book, Daffodil — A Biography of a Flower explores the history of one of the worlds most popular and symbolic flowers. From the ancient Greeks to the our current era, the Daffodil is a story of humanity, encompassing science, chance, redemption and hope.
SMSA (Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts)