Culture
Books
Alexis Wright wins Stella Prize with ‘perhaps the great Australian novel’
The Indigenous writer has won the $60,000 award for her acclaimed novel, Praiseworthy, making her the first to win the prize twice.
- by Jason Steger
Latest
The Beach Boys tell their own story of triumph and tragedy
It’s not all good vibrations, as our reviewers reveal in this week’s pick of fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Only the lonely can make the distance in David Nicholls’ new romcom
This novel, by the author of One Day, is a celebration of the rare connection that can lift people out of seemingly intractable loneliness.
- by Daniel Herborn
The top 12 books you should read in May
This month brings lyrics from Kazuo Ishiguro, a Miles Franklin winner’s latest novel, the return of Miranda July, a surprise sequel from Colm Toibin and spacey stories from Ceridwen Dovey.
- by Jason Steger
His book was rejected 13 times, now it’s a hit TV show
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer won him a Pulitzer Prize and employs cinematic tropes, but that doesn’t stop him being a fierce critic of the Hollywood machine.
- by Kurt Johnson
Exclusive
Literature
Top writers boycott State Library Victoria over accusations of censorship
Some of Australia’s highest profile writers, including a dual Miles Franklin winner, have announced they will no longer work with the library.
- by Kerrie O'Brien
This twisty Western mystery will beguile you
Tana French’s The Hunter brings back the Chicago detective who has taken refuge in the west of Ireland.
- by Sue Turnbull
Dramatic novel asks pertinent questions about mental health treatment
Anne Buist’s experience as a perinatal psychiatrist informs the novel she has written with Graeme Simsion.
- by Jessie Tu
This classy detective novel marries weighty concerns with playful delight
Steven Carroll’s latest novel represents a shift in genre after his prize-winning books about T.S. Eliot.
- by James Bradley
A scathing portrait of London, a society steeped in corruption
Andrew O’Hagan’s latest novel is a sprawling bit of social realism that exposes the inner workings of a society.
- by James Ley
Sacha Baron Cohen chapter cut from Australian version of Rebel Wilson book
Rebel Wilson’s book will finally be published in Australia, but the chapter about Sacha Baron Cohen will be missing.
- by Jason Steger