Books
Vanessa de Largie is the author of three memoirs (and a nonfiction book which will be launching soon). Vanessa has also collaborated with other artists on poetry, art and cinema books. Please enjoy exploring her numerous books below.
Don't Hit Me!
Australian actress and author Vanessa de Largie is a survivor of domestic violence.
Don’t Hit Me is a true diarised account of her time living with an abusive man. The story is conveyed through poems, journal entries and fragments of lyrical prose. The book is a snapshot of domestic violence in real time. Raw, poignant and brave – it’s a tale that will stay with you.
‘No other book on the subject captures the bare-bones process of survival as does Don’t Hit Me!: hopefully readers in similar circumstances will not only recognise the pain that ultimately led Vanessa de Largie to become a survivor instead of a statistic.’ Diane Donovan – Midwest Book Review
‘The book is powerfully written.’ Gretchen Wagner – San Francisco Book Review
‘Vanessa’s writing is very powerful and quite haunting. Her creative, almost poetic approach to the text; with its short journal-like sections, is unusual for a book on [domestic violence], but it works very effectively to emphasise the fragmented, surreal nature of the narrator’s experience.’ Former senior commissioning editor, Lothian Books – Teresa Pitt
‘I would like to say that everyone should read this book because if enough people vicariously experience humanity’s brokenness, we might be able to help fix it. Official Online Bookclub
‘It was difficult to read some sections but strangely it grips you and won’t let go. I’ve read this many times over and it’s one of the most outstanding, pure and honest sections of poetry I’ve ever read. There may be fewer words in this book than others but these are delivered with a potent force that imprints the reader’. Mr Baz – #1 Hall of Fame Reviewer, Amazon UK
- WINNER of the 2016 Silver Medal – Reader’s Favorite Awards -women’s non-fiction
- WINNER of the 2014 Global eBook Award (bronze) for non-fiction/women’s studies
- WINNER of the 2014 Honorable Mention Award, London Book Festival
Media about the book:
Click links to view
Interview about Don’t Hit Me with A Bigger Brighter World
Review of Don’t Hit Me by the San Francisco Book Review
Review of Don’t Hit Me by the AU Review
Review of Don’t Hit Me in Lost in a Good Book
Review of Don’t Hit Me in Sydney Arts Guide
Interview about Don’t Hit Me in Ezra Magazine
Review of Don’t Hit Me by Reader’s Favorite
Without My Consent
Explorative and courageous, WITHOUT MY CONSENT is an intimate portrait of rape and its aftermath. Conveyed via a literary narrative and delivered with unflinching honesty, de Largie takes the reader on a haunting journey through trauma and triumph.
- WINNER of the Honorable Mention Award, New York Book Festival
Media about the book:
Interview with Los Angeles Magazine – Cliché
Without My Consent is currently unavailable. It is undergoing revisions and will be reprinted later in 2023.
Tantric Afternoons
Melbourne-based writer Vanessa de Largie is an advocate of free love, a sampler of options. She is fearless in following her sexual cravings and writing about them. To do otherwise, she feels, would amount to being unfaithful to herself. In this bold, sensual and highly erotic book, Vanessa takes us with her on her quest for pleasure, through exploring Tantric sex, group sex, solo sex and more.
“Vanessa de Largie’s wonderful fierce and tender sexuality reminds me of Anais Nin’s: she’s a woman who doesn’t deny her body and her desires but follows them unafraid and rejoicing. These days this sincerity makes her a truly refreshing voice – and a happy one to find”. Kate Holden, Australian author and former Age columnist
Book Collaborations
Click on photos to enlarge and view beautiful limited edition book.
Excess
In 2020, I collaborated with German artist Jan van Rijn (for a third time) on a beautiful book titled EXCESS – a combination of his erotic art and my erotic poetry. The book was published by Kraut and Rubies Publishing in Europe.
In the preface of our book Jan van Rijn writes:
“Pale white skin in front of monochrome black to me is so powerful that I kept coming back to this style for years, accumulating reams of sheets and prints.
I’ve always wanted to see these drawings cojoined and asked Vanessa how she feels about another collaboration; “I am always up” she said and threw in the words.
Clearly this was going to be tighter and more focused than most of my other collections. I chose a small format implicating a keyhole perspective and diary-like effect.
Vanessa’s words often seem to embrace the male perspective of the images but there is a certain overtwist, an irritating, contradictive friction that plays with concepts of power and indulgence.”
EXCESS is a limited edition art and poetry book of 50 copies. You can purchase this book for $150.00 AUD by contacting Vanessa through her contact page.
When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals
When I was asked by accomplished Dutch author Vanessa Morgan (three of her books have been made into films) programmer, editor and film reviewer to write an essay for this wonderful Horror book being released in Europe – I jumped at the chance.
The definitive horror movie guide for fans of killer animals and ‘revenge of nature’ films. When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals provides a fascinating and entertaining insight into the cinematographic world of animals on the rampage. Leading horror writers and filmmakers present their favourite ‘animal attack’ films through in-depth essays.
What the media said:
“A whole lot of fun” Classic Horrors
“A comprehensive, insightful and often amusing look at the history of sometimes disresputable horror sub-genre. In extensive essays by various knowledgable authors who offer their unique personal insights.” Free Kittens Movie Guide
“Fascinating overview of killer animal movies.” Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Reviewer
The book was published in Europe in 2016.
Buy your copy here.
In The Woods & On The Heath
Was an honour to contribute to a book and have my work side-by-side with the likes of sex-feminist Annie Sprinkle, Writer Michael Ampersant, Spanish film director Carlos Atane and Australian poet – Ben John Smith.
“A collection of 24 exceptional writers contributing 48 pieces of erotic prose and poetry covering a variety of different perspectives on the subject, crossing the lines of straight, gay, lesbian, queer, fetish, high art, low brow classic and contemporary. A collection of monochrome images, lush and sensuous, at times extremely ornamental, very detailed, ambiguous, explicit, vulnerable and bold – just ask the axis.”
Jan van Rijn
Purchase a limited edition at van Rijn’s website.
A Few Miles Outside of Atlantis
“A few Miles…” is based on text passages of the prominent surrealistic poetess Joyce Mansour, taken from her volumes of verse published between 1953 and 1975.
Though born in England in 1928, Mansour spent her childhood and youth in Cairo, Egypt and moved to Paris in 1956.
She was only 19 when she first married, yet this marriage tragically ended after only six months when her husband died. Her second husband was Sami Mansour whom she married in 1949. She began to write in French and soon had made herself known within the circle of the Paris surrealists. Content and tone of her poetry, the power of her words and imagery that knew no taboos had a tremendous impact. She died of cancer in 1986.
Her name and her brilliant oeuvre appear to have a little faded today. So the concept of inspiring contemporary authoresses to react with some type of call & response to Mansour’s lines is all the more delightful – a stream of word and thought across time. Four authoresses of most diverse backgrounds joined in to meet this special and intriguing artistic challenge. The text pairs are contraposed with expressive paintings and drawings.
The result is a very powerful mélange of writings and visuals, new shades and variations of Mansour’s motifs – evanescence (mortality) and Eros.
Authoresses –
Vanessa de Largie,
Sandra Niermeyer,
Xóchil A. Schütz
and Ana Curra
Two versions published: a soft cover, A4 format (8.2 x 11.6 inches) text and reader friendly edition of 50 copies and a special hard cover edition, with a japanese binding in kidskin leather, A3 format (11.6 x 16.5 inches), a little more upfront illustrationwise with just a handful of copies.