HYDRA - An Island in The Mind
an immersive literary adventure for writers, readers & travellers
with Dr Paul Genoni & Prof. Tanya Dalziell
17-23 October 2025
Become immersed in Hydra's past as an epicentre of 1960s bohemianism as the Australian award-winning authors of Half The Perfect World : Writers, Dreamers and Drifters on Hydra 1955-64, introduce you to Charmian Clift, George Johnston and other creative giants of the time, including Leonard Cohen, Patrick Leigh Fermor and Sidney Nolan.
Designed for readers, writers, and adventurous thinkers, this immersive retreat offers the chance to step into the world of the great minds who made Hydra their home, while enjoying the warmth, culture and charm of island life.
You will encounter this unforgettable island through memorable words and images created by those who knew it best, presented as a series of stimulating, and often on-location seminars and workshops by authors of the highly awarded and definitive account of mid-century Hydra, Paul Genoni and Tanya Dalziell.
Daily seminars will also consider the craft of writing, with guided prompts inspired by the works and landscape in which we study, to encourage your own writing, poetry, image-making or drawings ... with round-tables and personal coaching on all aspects of your personal endeavors from our expert teachers.
This is a rare opportunity to learn, experience and be creative alongside award-winning authors whose expertise about literary Hydra is unparalleled. Places are limited, contact us now to enquire or reserve your place.
Why Hydra?
The Aegean island of Hydra holds an important, affectionate and unique place in both the history of Australian literature and the fabled decade of the 1960s. During this time Hydra was home to the Australian literary couple Charmian Clift and George Johnston, who became the focal point for a celebrated international colony of writers and artists, which included Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen.
In what has now become a renowned example of post- war bohemianism and expatriation, this group of young like-minded individuals came together to pursue their artistic desires in a place of singular beauty and existential freedom.
To this day Hydra is frequently singled out as a place of great beauty and as an artist’s island. It is a car-free sanctuary where time and artistic engagement offer the possibilities of a contemplative, creative life in a culturally and socially rich space.
This journey will give you the chance to both learn about and experience this unique island setting, and its unique importance in the history of 20th century literature and art.
You will walk in the footsteps of not only Clift and Johnston but also other writers such as Leonard Cohen, Henry Miller, Giorgos Seferis, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Lawrence Durrell, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Brenda Chamberlain and Tim Winton, as well as artists including Sidney Nolan, Nikos Ghika, Marc Chagall, Jeff Koons, and Pericles Byzantios.
Meet Your Presenters
Tanya and Paul have collaborated on various activities for over twenty years. This includes research, writing, editing, and convening conferences Together they co-edited Telling Stories: Australian Life and Literature 1935-2012 (2013).
They co-authored Half the Perfect World: Writers, Dreamers and Drifters on Hydra, 1955-1964 (2018), which won the 2019 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for the best book of non-fiction.
They love sharing and talking about great stories—and Hydra has so many to tell, many of which they have unearthed from never-before documented archives.
Paul Genoni has worked as a librarian and academic, most recently with the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University, Western Australia.
His research and publishing spans Australian literature and culture, including travel writing; expatriate memoir; and pilgrimage narratives.
He has published a book on Australian explorer narratives and co-edited a collection of essays on Thea Astley.
With Tanya Dalziell, he co-authored Half the Perfect World: Writers, Dreamers and Drifters on Hydra, 1955-1964, which received the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction.
Tanya Dalziell teaches and researches in English and Literary Studies at the University of Western Australia.
She writes on topics related to Australian literature, film, music and modernism.
She has published books on Australian writers Joan London and Gail Jones and co-edited a book of essays on the musician Nick Cave.
With Paul Genoni, she co-authored Half the Perfect World: Writers, Dreamers and Drifters on Hydra, 1955-1964, which received the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction.
She currently holds these positions
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Professor Tanya Dalziell FAHA SFHEA
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Chair of the Department of English and Cultural Studies
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Chair of Discipline/Major, English and Literary Studies
Genoni & Dalziells'
writing on Hydra
About Our Retreat
Each day, we’ll dive into the works and stories created by Hydra's literary identities, bringing literature to life in the very place it was shaped.
Morning seminars will be complemented by walks through Hydra’s quiet lanes, reflections by the sea, and the camaraderie of a group of curious, like-minded travellers who share a love of ideas, creativity and new experiences.
Designed for readers, writers, and adventurous thinkers, this retreat offers the chance to step into the world of the great minds who made Hydra their home, while enjoying the warmth, culture and charm of island life.
Our retreat includes:
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exploring the island through literary seminars and on-location expeditions
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guided writing workshops inspired by the literature of, and about Hydra, by the people who lived, loved and visited there
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individual coaching on your own writing by experts Dr. Tanya Dalziell and Paul Genoni
