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Explore the latest developments concerning Bob Carr: ‘I.

Bob Carr: ‘I really thought repeatedly, “Bob, the joke is on you”’

The former NSW premier and Australian foreign minister on losing the love of his life, and figuring out how to go on

Walking with Bob Carr is highly apposite. His new book begins with him wandering Sydney’s night-time streets for kilometres in a trance of grief after the death of his beloved wife, Helena.

“You become what I call ‘memory struck’ in your bereaved condition. Knocked sideways. Unabashed nostalgia, I think, becomes part of the approach to life that a bereaved person takes,” says Carr, the New South Wales Labor premier for a decade until 2005 with Helena ever by his side – publicly, privately.

Eight new books we can't wait to read in March

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Former NSW premier Bob Carr lost his wife, Helena, in a Vienna hotel room in October 2023. The aneurysm that claimed her struck like lightning and in less than 30 minutes his partner of 50 years was gone: "And then everything changed forever and my life splintered down the middle, into all the years before this moment and the years since." Back in Australia, Carr was "cracked". He walked Sydney's streets late at night, wept copiously and tried to adapt. And, ever the elegant diarist, he turned to the pen. This is Carr's meditation on grief and "the leftover life".

Bob Carr: Bring Back Yesterday

Carr will take to the stage to discuss the state of Australian politics, global affairs and his new book Bring Back Yesterday, a moving reflection on the loss of his wife.

Hailed as 'a memoir of raw and extraordinary power' by journalist David Marr, Bring Back Yesterday tells the story of Bob Carr's 50-year partnership with his beloved wife Helena and how he coped after her unexpected passing in 2023.

Carr joins The Fifth Estate host Sally Warhaft to share the wisdom forged through unspeakable loss and to reflect on the state of Australia – and the world – during these troubled times.

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