How do we maintain friendships as we age? How do these friendships impact who we are – or who we become? And … exactly how should we grow old? Charlotte Wood asks these questions of aging and friendship in her highly-anticipated new novel, The Weekend – about three women in their 70s who gather to clean out the house of their friend Sylvie after her death.  The lives and stories of women are at the core of Wood’s writing. The author of six novels and one book of non-fiction, Wood won the 2016 Stella Prize for her extraordinary novel The Natural Way of Things. She has been longlisted and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, and was recently awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to literature. At Montalto with host Elizabeth McCarthy, Wood discusses mortality, female friendship and the dilemmas that face women as they age.

Books and Ideas at Montalto

Charlotte Wood

How do we become estranged from ourselves – and from the people and places that have moulded us? What’s the way back? And how can we begin again? These questions are at the heart of the new book from award-winning writer Andrea Goldsmith. Invented Lives is about a young Russian-Jewish woman who arrives in Australia in the mid-1980s as a refugee. It’s an affectionate portrait of 1980s Melbourne, and a sophisticated and engrossing novel of ideas – about exile, about multicultural Australia, and about the social, political and technological tides that impact our personal lives. Invented Lives is Goldsmith’s eighth novel. Best known for her 2015 Melbourne Prize-winning novel, The Memory Trap, and for the Miles Franklin-shortlisted 2003 novel, The Prosperous Thief, Goldsmith is also an accomplished essayist and superb short-story writer. At Montalto with Michael Williams, Goldsmith discusses her latest novel and her body of work.

Andrea Goldsmith

Tony Birch is among Australia’s finest living writers. A poet, activist and academic, as well as an acclaimed novelist and short-story writer, Birch’s writing is concerned with Australians, especially Indigenous Australians, living life on the fringes. He writes, too, about the dark shadow cast by the state in the everyday lives of marginalised people. In 2017, he became the first Aboriginal writer to win the Patrick White Award, in recognition of his invaluable body of work, including the novels Blood and Ghost River and the short-story collections, Common People and The Promise. His new book, The White Girl, is about the Stolen Generations, set in 1960s rural Australia. It’s the story of Odette, and her fair-skinned granddaughter, who she must protect from authorities at all costs. At Montalto, he joins Michael Williams for a conversation about writing, research and the politics of prejudice – then and now.

Tony Birch

Simon Schama is a familiar figure on the BBC as well as a professor at Columbia University, and he’s produced multi-volume histories of Britain, documentaries with momentous names like The American Future and a TV series called Simon Schama’s Power of Art. He's a heavyweight scholar, best known for in-depth works on French history, Jewish history, art history and Dutch history. But he’s also a writer of great versatility who has concerned himself – through his columns for the New Yorker and the Financial Times – with a dizzying array of topics, from poetry and baseball to Tom Waits and ice-cream. At Montalto, in conversation with David Hansen, he draws from his new BBC series, Civilisations – which explores the origins of human creativity, and its universal importance – and from … well, millenia of artworks and ideas.

Simon Schama

One Hundred Years of Dirt – Rick Morton’s unflinching memoir – tells of growing up on a cattle station in Queensland: of witnessing a horrific accident befall his brother; his father’s alcoholism; his mother’s strength. It’s a story of poverty, drug addiction, cruelty, anger and tragedy; of love and endurance. The Age praised its ‘exquisite detail’; Christos Tsiolkas has described it as ‘honest and harsh and beautiful and loving’.  At the heart of the book is the question of social mobility – and it’s a question asked in a time of unfavourable odds. Wealth inequality in Australia is growing. The highest 20% of income earners make five times as much of those in the lowest 20%. In this lowest 20%, we’re most likely to see people who are unemployed, single parents, those aged over 65, migrants from non-English speaking countries, and those living in rural and regional Australia.  For many years, Morton was the social affairs writer for the Australian. One Hundred Years of Dirt blends Morton’s own story with reportage and social commentary on how these issues and stories play out every day across Australia. It is both a story of one man and one family, and a story of this country.  In this discussion with Elizabeth McCarthy at Montalto, Morton shares the process of living and writing his story. Tune in for a discussion about hope and celebrating survival; the lessons we can learn about Australia, and the work we could do to challenge and change inequality. Presented in partnership with Montalto.

Rick Morton

Tom and Meg Keneally are an unlikely crack novel-writing team who write about an unlikely crack murder-investigation team. Tom Keneally is an icon of Australian literature: a Booker Prize-winner, a Miles Franklin-winner, and the author of The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Schindler’s Ark and other classics. Meg Keneally is a former journalist and PR specialist turned crime writer. The father-daughter pair have now co-written four books in the Monsarrat historical crime-novel series, about a convict and his trusted housekeeper who travel between Australian penal colonies cracking murder cases. Their latest book, The Ink Stain, sees Monsarrat and Mrs Mulrooney travel to Sydney to investigate a corruption case that might extend all the way to the governor. How did the Keneally collaboration come about? What are their creative similarities and differences as writers? Hear from this pair of gifted storytellers as they answer these questions, and many more, at Montalto with Elizabeth McCarthy.

Meg and Tom Keneally

Jock Serong is known as an author of gripping books about crime and catastrophe. His stories spark and seethe with tense emotional and political detail, often drawing on his other skills – in law, and in surf writing. He’s won wide critical acclaim for Quota, On the Java Ridge and The Rules of Backyard Cricket. Serong’s latest, Preservation, takes readers through a different kind of crime writing – this time set in 1797, and based on the true story of the shipwrecked Sydney Cove. It follows Lieutenant Joshua Grayling’s investigation of the wreck, its three terribly injured survivors, and their encounters with an unfamiliar land. At Montalto, Jock Serong chats with Elizabeth McCarthy about Preservation, human misdeeds, and the search for truth amid conflicting accounts.

Jock Serong

‘In fairytales, the characters who look different are often cast as the villain or monsters. It's only when they shed their unconventional skin that they are seen as "good" or less frightening.’ Carly Findlay looks different. She’s an award-winning writer, appearance activist and speaker who lives with ichthyosis – a rare, severe skin condition. Say Hello is her new memoir, filled with anecdotes and observations on her life to date, and on ableism, representation and beauty privilege. Of its name, she explains it’s ‘what I want people to do, instead of ignoring me, looking shocked or scared, or making a rude comment about my face’. Findlay’s book serves as a confident manifesto on disability and appearance diversity. Also recently announced as the editor of a forthcoming collection, Growing Up Disabled in Australia, she joins us at Montalto for a chat about disability-led literature, difference and telling your story on your own terms. Presented in partnership with Montalto.

Carly Findlay

As the long-running and trusted ‘Brain Food’ columnist for Fairfax, Richard Cornish tackles food and cooking questions from readers around Australia. He responds to practical queries (‘How much is an American ‘stick of butter’?), experimental queries (‘Can I make mayonnaise using the juice from a jar of pickled cucumbers?), scientific queries (‘What is the difference between taste and flavour?’) and even paranormal queries (‘My grandmother claimed she could "hear" when her cakes were ready. Is there any science in this?’). Richard’s blend of humour and warmth and his broad knowledge of culinary culture are reflected not just in his ‘Brain Food’ columns, but in his journalism and recipe books. He is the author of My Year Without Meat, about his experiment in vegetarianism, and he’s the co-author of several recipe books, with chefs Frank Camorra and Phillippa Grogan. At Montalto, Richard discusses his book, a collection of his ‘Brain Food’ columns, and his career writing about food and culinary culture. Hosted by Lindy Burns.

Richard Cornish

If you like your cartoon hairstyles sharp and your comic observations sharper, Judy Horacek is your cartoonist. One of Australia’s most successful cartoonists (and one of our few female professionals in the business), her work ranges from wry political commentary to children’s picture books. Her nine cartoon books include children’s classics such as Where is the Green Sheep? and Good Night, Sleep Tight – both produced with long-term collaborator Mem Fox. Random Life is the latest of Horacek’s cartoon books for adults. It’s a crowdfunded collection of her recent cartoons – most first published in the Age – and many of which riff colourfully and reflectively on themes of labour and fairness, feminism and everyday life. For Books and Ideas at Montalto, Horacek talks with broadcaster Serpil Senelmis about Random Life, her career in cartoons, and her uniquely pointy take on contemporary society.

Judy Horacek

Tony Jones is best known as the host of ABC TV’s tightly controlled, agenda-setting and sometimes combative political panel programme, Q&A. Having presented the programme for almost ten years, Jones has learned a few things about tension, intrigue, complex plots and surprise attacks. Those years of experience – not to mention the preceding decades as an ABC investigative reporter and foreign correspondent – have prepared Jones perfectly for his latest incarnation as a thriller writer. His debut novel, The Twentieth Man, tells an electrifying tale of crime, terror and international conspiracy and is set between the corridors of power in 1970s Canberra and the harsh mountain ranges of former Yugoslavia. Jones has a long-standing interest in the Balkans, having covered the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s during his stint as the ABC’s Europe correspondent. In conversation with Jason Steger at Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove, this veteran of Australian journalism discusses his foray into fiction and the experiences in Australia and overseas that have inspired it.

Tony Jones

Set in a rural farming community, Jane Harper’s debut novel, The Dry, is a tightly-spun and suspenseful thriller. It tells the story of a Federal Police investigator who returns to his hometown after two decades of urban exile – tasked with examining the apparent murder-suicide of his childhood friend’s family. As he works his way through the drought-stricken settlement, a horrific truth begins to reveal itself. The book has met with a sensational response from readers worldwide – as well as the attention of Hollywood, with film rights snapped up by Reese Witherspoon’s Pacific Standard production company. Critics have praised its sustained tension and unsettlingly vivid evocation of the Australian landscape’s most unforgiving traits. Born in Manchester, Harper has moved back-and-forth between the UK and Australia, working as a journalist before developing her skills in fiction. A short story published in the Big Issue’s 2014 Fiction Edition provided a spark – but it was winning the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript that truly lit the fuse for Harper’s writing career. Over dinner and drinks at Montalto, Harper speaks with Louise Swinn about the genesis of the novel, her creative path through different kinds of writing, and how she’s dealt with the joy (and pressure) of The Dry’s break-out success.

Jane Harper

In previous Quarterly Essays, David Marr has turned his merciless pen to powerful men of the establishment: George Pell, Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten. In his new biographical essay, however, Marr’s subject is a self-styled populist outlier and a woman: Pauline Hanson. As Australian political figures go, they don’t come much more colourful than Hanson. Her divisive speeches and curious catchphrases are etched into the memories of many Australians, from the maiden speech to Parliament (‘we are in danger of being swamped by Asians’) to the famous response to the question of xenophobia on 60 Minutes (‘Please explain?’). Then there was the prison stint, the Dancing with the Stars stint, and the extraordinary recent comeback. The former fish-and-chips shop owner is both loved and loathed. And she’s a serious threat to both major parties, with climbing national approval figures. Today, Hanson has much in common with other anti-immigration, protectionist and populist political figures gaining traction across the world. At Montalto, David Marr joins Sally Warhaft to discuss Pauline Hanson and the uniquely Australian strain of the politics of resentment. 

David Marr

‘Author, ecologist, historian, dyslexic and honourary wombat (part time)’ – that’s Jackie French’s job title, according to her own website. Jackie French writes novels and non-fiction; fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction and ecology; for adults and for kids. Over the course of her career, she’s written a dizzying 140 books. Loved by Australian kids for picture books including the Diary of a Wombat series and Queen Victoria’s Underpants, she’s a passionate advocate for dyslexics and children’s literature and has served as the Australian Children’s Laureate. Jackie has won countless awards across various genres, including the NSW Premier’s History Award. Her latest novel, Miss Lily’s Lovely Ladies, is about a secret finishing school for young women during World War I. At Montalto Vineyard, Jackie French joins host Wendy Orr to discuss historical fiction, children’s literacy and an extraordinary life in literature.

Jackie French

The qualities that endear Australian audiences to William McInnes as an actor are the same that endear him as a writer. It’s that wry, laconic voice and the affectionate, authentic take on Australian life. Loved for his iconic TV roles in Blue Heelers, Sea Change and The Time of Our Lives, McInnes has also won acclaim for film roles including Unfinished Sky and My Brother Jack. In recent years, he’s devoted increasing attention to writing. He’s the author of several works of memoir and the novel Cricket Kings. His latest book, Full Bore, is about Australian artefacts and memorabilia and offers a very funny and perceptive take on Australia’s popular culture and sporting obsessions. At Montalto Vineyard, William discusses his career and creative endeavours with Melbourne author John Harms.

William McInnes

The Wheeler Centre presents thoughtful conversations about Australian literature – away from the lights of Melbourne, at Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove on the Mornington Peninsula.

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Books and Ideas at Montalto

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