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John Tesarsch John Tesarsch i(A136721 works by)
Born: Established: 1967 Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Male
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Works By

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1 1 y separately published work icon When Jokers Were Kings When Jokers Were Kings : Elvis Lives in Melbourne, with His Mother. a Love Story. John Tesarsch , South Melbourne : Affirm Press , 2022 23935547 2022 single work novel romance humour

'When mild-mannered mail clerk Bertie Jones tries his luck as an Elvis Presley impersonator, his whole world gets shaken up. His doting mother doesn t approve, for a start. But with his best friend as his overzealous manager, and a budding romance with Jasmine, a Michael Jackson tribute artist, Bertie just might be about to hip-shake his way to the most unlikely stardom.

'Take a front-row seat to a tour-de-force of a musical and personal journey, set against the backdrop of a banking royal commission and a white-knuckle road trip that includes a run-in with a Ned Kelly impersonator all squeezed into a tight rhinestone jumpsuit. It s a rollicking return for the King and one he definitely would not have seen coming.

'When Jokers Were Kings is an uplifting romantic comedy brimming with offbeat ideas about modern life, love, and finding your voice.' (Publication summary) 

1 y separately published work icon Dinner with the Dissidents John Tesarsch , South Melbourne : Affirm Press , 2018 14733686 2018 single work novel

'It is 1970, and the Kremlin is struggling to quell dissent. Though censored at home, Alexander Solzhenitsyn is lauded in the West for exposing the underbelly of communism. Now the Nobel laureate is rumoured to be writing his most devastating work yet.

'The KGB turns to Leonid Krasnov, an aspiring young writer. It promises to make him Moscow’s next literary star if he can infiltrate Solzhenitsyn’s inner circle and uncover what the great author is hiding. At first Leonid complies, but when he falls in love with Klara, a dissident musician, his allegiances waver. By then he is enmeshed in a plot that is more sinister than he could ever have imagined.

'Many years later, Leonid is a recluse living in Canberra under an assumed name. Haunted by his past, he seeks one last, desperate chance to make amends.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 7 y separately published work icon The Last Will and Testament of Henry Hoffman John Tesarsch , Melbourne : Affirm Press , 2015 8534256 2015 single work novel

'When their reclusive father, Henry, shoots himself, the lives of three brilliant and unconventional siblings are upended. His daughter Eleanor finds a will: Henry has left his entire estate to a mystery woman. Hiding this from her brother and sister, Eleanor sets out to uncover the confronting truth about her father’s past.

'Henry, though, isn’t the only Hoffman with secrets. As his children fall out over their inheritance, they learn things about each other they could never even have imagined.

'The Last Will and Testament of Henry Hoffman is a story of love, loss and survival. Its subjects are those that affect us all: family conflict, guilt and redemption, and how trauma resonates across generations.'

1 7 y separately published work icon The Philanthropist John Tesarsch , Collingwood : Sleepers Publishing , 2010 Z1734935 2010 single work novel

'Charles Bradshaw is an ageing tycoon haunted by his past. When he suffers a heart attack, he abruptly retires and announces that he will give his fortune to charity, which leads to conflict with his wife and adult children. An old girlfriend, Anna, returns unannounced, and brings with her memories of a terrible secret that they share from their youth. Unnerved by their renewed affection for each other, Charles and Anna struggle to overcome their remorse and to make amends, but tension inevitably flares. Meanwhile, Charles's son is taking over the company and becomes intoxicated with his newfound power, intent, it seems, on self-destruction.

'His last prayer was more than forty years ago, and it went unanswered, so there is no use trying again. He can see his home in the distance: the marquee in the garden, his yacht at anchor. It is all like a simple parable. The rich man, the fat man, gets his comeuppance. Absurd, that he will be found dead wearing nothing but Speedos - it almost makes him laugh.' (From the publisher's website.)

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