By Aaron Cordy
WHILE many in Greater Shepparton have been gripped by a bit of Picasso fever, former Congupna local A.T. “Aidan” Prewett has captured the imagination of the literary world with his debut fiction novel, The Picasso Ransom, a fictionalised account of the famous 1986 theft of Picasso’s Weeping Woman from the National Gallery of Victoria.
A filmmaker and writer, A.T. won the coveted Victorian College of the Arts Best Achievement in Direction, as well as Best Documentary Script. His non-fiction books include To Know John Lennon, Our Jimi and Woodstock at 50: Anatomy of a Revolution. Films include A Venue for the End of the World and The Trump Antidote.
That the real masterminds behind the daring 1986 robbery have never been found did not stop A.T. from having a lot of fun filling in the gaps in his cosy crime caper about art, rebellion and second chances.
“The Picasso Ransom is based on a true crime committed in Melbourne. I thought, well, that combines the best of both worlds. It’s like here’s all these facts of the case, but we don’t know who actually did it. So, I just imagined that I knew exactly how it was done,” said A.T.
“I decided early on that I was going to keep the timeline of events as accurate as possible. So, we know exactly when the painting was taken. We know exactly when it was returned, and we know the timings of when each of the ransom notes arrived.
“In between that, I just wanted to know where the painting was, who took it, what were they thinking, and primarily what was the emotion running through their head the second that they actually took the painting off the wall?
“It’s cozy, it’s fun, and it’s definitely a caper. The protagonists are all in their early 70s, or about to turn 70, so they’re very unlikely candidates to be cat burglars.”Copies of The Picasso Ransom can be found at all our local bookstores, but if you want to meet A.T. and have him sign a copy of his book, he will be at Collins Booksellers Shepparton on Saturday, September 19, from 11am. Reserve your free ticket at https://www.trybooking.com/DOWPN.
