Dean Manning: An Evening with the Author

Join Dean Manning, in conversation with Simon Marnie, to talk about his book Mr Blank, in-store at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore.

WHEN: Tuesday, 26th of August 2025, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Please arrive at 6:45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS: 

Admission: $25.00 (excluding external fees), includes admission for one, a glass of wine and nibbles upon arrival.

Admission + Book: $50.00 (excluding external fees), includes admission for one, a copy of Mr Blank (RRP: $32.95), a glass of wine and nibbles upon arrival.

A paper trail into the life of Mr David Blank, bon vivant, convicted criminal, heavy punter, hotel owner, theatre impresario, and rock'n'roll promoter.

About Mr Blank:

While visiting his ailing father in Sydney, the author discovers an old suitcase chucked out for a council clean-up. Curiosity gets the better of him and he opens it. Inside are hundreds of photographs, newspaper clippings and letters, all addressed to Mr Blank. And so the process of discovery begins: Who is Mr Blank? A maverick entrepreneur with the Midas touch, a convicted criminal with impeccable tastes, a publican and theatre impresario, a gap-toothed lover of beautiful women from all over the world. Mr Blank flew above the law and mainly below the radar of twentieth century Australia. And not everyone wants his past, or their part in it, to be revealed.

He was a charismatic man much loved and much forgiven, and his story, brought to life by Manning from the fragments inside the suitcase, is a superbly idiosyncratic window onto mid-twentieth century Sydney; its glamour and hedonism, and the hard edges underpinning them.

About the Author: Dean Manning

Dean Manning is a musician and visual artist. After completing a Bachelor of Visual Arts degree at Newcastle University he joined Mojo Advertising as a copywriter. He left to form his first pop group Leonardo's Bride, achieving critical acclaim and commercial success. Mushroom Music Publishing administer his catalogue of over a hundred songs including the APRA Song of the Year Even When I'm Sleeping. Manning regularly exhibits his paintings and Super 8 films and has been a finalist in the Archibald, Sulman and Moran Portrait prizes.

About the Host: Simon Marnie

Simon Marnie is an Australian radio and TV presenter having presenting the Weekend Mornings program on ABC Radio Sydney and ABC NSW and as a co-presenter of ABC TV’s “Escape From The City” Beginning at Triple J he has worked in community and commercial broadcasting, both behind the scenes and in front of the microphone and has diverse interests in arts, music, food and culture.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some homemade chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.