9.25pm Sunday, 30 March 2008

Blind writer, philanthropist and artists' muse Barbara Blackman, now in her 80th year, talks to Geraldine Doogue about her rich, eventful life and spiritual journey.

Born in 1928 in Queensland Barbara was raised by her mother. Her father died when she was 3 years old. "I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I was born with something better, a question mark," she tells Compass.
But from an early age her eyesight was poor. Eventually diagnosed with optic atrophy she was declared blind by the age of 22. "It seemed to me I was given a life sentence for a crime I had not committed."
Undeterred, Barbara was awarded a scholarship to study philosophy and psychology at Sydney University and soon afterwards met the young artist and her husband-to-be Charles Blackman.
Barbara became the inspiration for Charles's famed 'Alice in Wonderland' series of paintings.
Later Barbara became a prominent writer and a student of Jung and the mystic traditions of Gnosticism and Sufism. 50 years of her letters with the late poet Judith Wright were recently published to significant acclaim.
Barbara Blackman's life is testimony to a passionate search for knowledge and understanding.