Julia Gillard biographer review slammed

THE publisher of Penguin books in Australia, Ben Ball, has accused the new editor of the Melbourne-based literary magazine The Monthly of a "gross betrayal of basic editorial standards" for allowing the author of one biography of Julia Gillard to critique another in the October issue.

THE publisher of Penguin books in Australia, Ben Ball, has accused the new editor of the Melbourne-based literary magazine The Monthly of a "gross betrayal of basic editorial standards" for allowing the author of one biography of Julia Gillard to critique another in the October issue.

But Ben Naparstek, who took over the editorship from Sally Warhaft just months ago, defended the decision, saying there was nobody more qualified than Canberra press gallery journalist Christine Wallace, who is author of an upcoming biography of Gillard, to comment on Jacqueline Kent's The Making of Julia Gillard, which has just been published by Penguin.

Wallace described Kent's book as a "curiously flat read" and a "friendly political quickie". She admitted in the first paragraph that she was writing her own biography of Gillard, due out next year.

Naparstek said Wallace was a "very obvious choice given that she has a great track record in biography and knows more about Gillard's life and career than any journalist in the country, with the possible exception of Kent".

"There are many different perspectives from which a review can be written, but there's a particular view that I thought the alternate biographer could bring."

But Mr Ball described "the very existence of the review" as a disgrace and a "betrayal of basic standards" of objectivity in literary criticism.

Naperstek disagreed, saying Mr Ball had launched an "extraordinary attack on the integrity of my editorship".

The Weekend Australian understands Naparstek did not know before he published the review that Mr Ball is a close friend of Dr Warhaft, the popular former editor he replaced after her stoush with the chairman of the magazine's editorial board, Robert Manne. Dr Warhaft launched Jacqueline Kent's book in Melbourne last week.

Mr Ball said he was proud to count Dr Warhaft as a friend. "If Ben Naparstek thinks that commissioning hatchet jobs of Penguin books because I'm a friend of Sally, and that's a way to show loyalty and to define his editorship, then I give The Monthly six months. That's not even a rookie's error, it's just ridiculous."

Naparstek said he told Wallace the review "wouldn't be presented as an impartial review. It will be flagged as a review by the other biographer. It's completely intellectually honest".

"I think it was a very fair review, similar to the review by (Fairfax journalist) Michelle Grattan last week."

While Naparstek said Wallace had clearly identified herself as the author of a rival biography, Mr Ball said that was "like a mugger declaring his profession when you first meet".

"It doesn't explain away the absolute stink-to-high-heaven conflict of interest in getting one biographer to review another. What kind of intellectual contortion must he have gone through to come up with that?"

Naparstek said the decision to commission Wallace was his own.

He had chatted to Professor Manne about his plan,"but it was an independent decision, and my idea".