Culture
Books
The Salt Madonna's slick marketing might drive sales, but are they to the right audience?
It’s got a stormy cover and an exciting blurb. It's eye-catching, but those caught might not be those who will properly appreciate this complex literary work.
- by Emma Young
Latest
Opinion
Indigenous culture
Archives are only what the victors have left behind
That might be why a lot of writers who are interested in the past, and how it got us to today, are writing fiction.
- by Jenny Sinclair
Literature
Non-fiction reviews: grim climate truths and a moving memoir
A new anthology takes delight in nature despite the grim truths of climate change.
- by Fiona Capp
Review
Fiction reviews: #Metoo novels and more
Kate Elizabeth Russell's My Dark Vanessa might be the best novel to emerge in the wake of #Metoo.
- by Cameron Woodhead
Good Weekend
Life lessons learnt from the quarterdeck of HMS Surprise
Perhaps all our favourite books do this – teach us something about the world, or about ourselves.
- by Amanda Hooton
Culture wars
'Gobsmacking': Writers savage humanities fee hike
Author Richard Flanagan said Australia would pay a heavy price in the years to come.
- by Broede Carmody and Fergus Hunter
Opinion
WordPlay
Alphabetical order is not always as easy as ABC
Despite our ease with A-to-Z, the sequence needed time to embed into the Western mind.
- by David Astle
Review
Shriver takes on cult of fitness zealotry
The controversial author also takes aim at charges levelled at her about political correctness, diversity and cultural appropriation.
- by Thuy On
Review
Writing as an instrument of universal understanding
Award-winning Indigenous author Alexis Wright is all for a new kind of writing drawn from ancestral tradition.
- by Jane Sullivan
Review
An optimistic view of human nature
Dutch historian Rutger Bregman argues that humans are not inherently horrible, after all.
- by Michael McGirr
Review
Boys, and nothing but
Ronnie Scott's debut novel focuses on a group of gay young men during a hot Melbourne summer.
- by Owen Richardson