Bibliophile’s (mis)adventures
Pamela Paul is a nerd who records every book she reads in a fraying exercise pad called Bob.
Books
Newbies make Franklin longlist
The Miles Franklin Literary Award longlist is made up of nine authors who have never been shortlisted for it before.
In search of Garner’s ‘I’
Helen Garner ‘has always been a boundary-crosser’, argues academic and researcher Bernadette Brennan.
Mysterious intelligences
Vertebrates, octopuses and cuttlefish are the only members of the animal kingdom to possess a large brain.
Sacrificing all before insight
A scientist’s shift from animal research to bioethics was painful and enlightening.
Tailor of detailed tales
Gay Talese used the freedom of long-form reportage to experiment with the tools and techniques of fiction.
New York front and centre
The Big Apple of Kim Stanley Robinson’s new science fiction novel, New York 2140, is both recognisable and strange.
Evolving tastes in what we eat
The new trend of ‘experiential dining’ is often less about the food we eat than how we eat it.
Animal magnetism
Eva Hornung’s first novel in nine years ventures into a bestial world where tragedy and religion collide.
From the author’s mouth
I want to share some quotes about the writing life that I’ve jotted down in recent weeks.
Dynasty’s bodies pile up
Colm Toibin’s new novel delves into the most infamous dynasty in Greek mythology.
Her absence is greatly missed
Sadly, Pauline Hanson is not for talking in this latest in the series of Quarterly Essays by journalist David Marr.
Back to the future of comics
A former DC publisher with a taste for the weird is reclaiming her place on bookshelves.
Reimagined Kafka takes Vogel
Marija Pericic has won The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award with her quirky reimaging of Franz Kafka.
Deciphering enemy secrets
Most Allied World War II victories were the product of painstaking, insightful, sometimes brilliant codebreaking.
Depths of despair and back
From the opening essay the reader is plunged into the depths of Jessica Friedmann’s despair.
Nods to history in verse
Our poets are alive to the impact of world-shattering events, none more so than Jennifer Maiden.
The poet’s better half
Henry Lawson has been a bone of contention for biographers. Two new books look at his long-suffering wife, and mates.
Finding Ferrante
New research reveals that Anita Raja, the mystery author of the bestselling Naples novels, wasn’t working alone.
Who delivered deadly whacks?
More than a century after allegedly killing two people with an axe Lizzie Bordern has remained a source of fascination.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/books/page/194