ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 63 | June 2003
Library’s ‘Hot Author’ Series a Success
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Geoff Pryor
(1944–) Paul Keating is the subject of Don Watson’s critically acclaimed biography, Recollections of a Bleeding Heart |
In May and June, the National Library presented a three-part series of Saturday afternoon conversations with prominent Australian writers.
In May, Eva Sallis was featured in conversation with ABC Radio broadcaster, Lea Redfern. Sallis read from her recently published book Mahjar. She is well known for her novel, Hiam for which she won the Australian Vogel and the Dobbie Literary Awards. A specialist in comparative literature (Arabic and English), Sallis travels regularly to the Middle East. She is also co-founder of Australians Against Racism.
The second conversation, conducted later in May, featured prominent Tasmanian writer Richard Flanagan. Flanagan’s first novel, the much celebrated Death of a River Guide, won major Australian literary prizes including the 1996 National Fiction Award and was described by the Times Literary Supplement as ‘one of the most auspicious debuts in Australian writing.’ His second novel, The Sound of One Hand Clapping, was similarly acclaimed, while his most recent work, Gould’s Book of Fish, won Best Book in the 2002 Commonwealth Writers Prize. Richard Flanagan discussed his work with Heather Neilson, Senior Lecturer at the School of Language, Literature and Communication, University of New South Wales, ADFA.
The Library’s third ‘hot author’, featured in June, was Don Watson, who has written on Australian history, culture and politics for more than 25 years. Through the 1980s he wrote political satire, alongside speeches for the Victorian premier, John Cain and Prime Minister, Paul Keating. His books include Brian Fitzpatrick: A Radical Life, Caledonia Australis and The Story of Australia. His latest book, Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: A Portrait of Paul Keating PM, won the National Biography Award, the Age Non-Fiction prize and was both the Age and the Courier Mail Book of the Year. Watson also wrote the films Passion, and The Man Who Sued God. He discussed his work with Christine Wallace, a journalist with the Australian.
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