Spectrum
Who stole Picasso’s Weeping Woman? This novel could have the answer
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction releases, including historical fiction, a ripping yarn about the Labor Party and MasterChef inaugural winner Julie Goodwin’s memoir.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Latest
Salman Rushdie’s memoir is the work of a supreme storyteller
The novelist’s account of the brutal attack on him and how he survived is moving, ghastly and full of self-scrutiny.
- by Peter Craven
Schoolboys ranked this smart young woman. Her response is thrilling
As a student, Emmanuelle Mattana faced the kind of schoolboy misogyny that made headlines last week. Her play, Trophy Boys, might just make a difference.
- by Cameron Woodhead
Fiction is a sort of warning call, and we’re ignoring history
American writer Celeste Ng’s first two novels were realist domestic fiction, but her third was a more political creation.
- by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
Want to know what happens in ACMI’s playful new show? It’s up to you
Visitors need only keep moving to experience their own animated world inside ACMI’s Beings exhibition.
- by Stephanie Bunbury
What are the secret ingredients of the ‘romantasy’ genre? Sex and spice
The latest literature genre is a blend of romance and fantasy, and it’s proving to be a bestselling phenomenon.
- by Jane Sullivan
A male listener hated feminists like her, but then she made him laugh
Deborah Frances-White was surprised when a man emailed her saying he’d listened to 18 months worth of her show, The Guilty Feminist.
- by Wendy Tuohy
An ‘alien vibe’ and no fear of death: this singer is full of surprises
Kazu Makino thought her days with Blonde Redhead were behind her. But Covid changed all that.
- by Michael Dwyer
Michael Ondaatje’s latest work is in praise of long love and experience
The writer’s first collection of poetry in more than 25 years replaces the idea of ageing as diminution with a blazing and sensual testament to what is held close.
- by Felicity Plunkett
‘Not well received’ at Harvard, these two writers maintain the rage
Writer Tony Birch reflects on how Miles Franklin Award-winner Kim Scott has intrigued and inspired him.
- by Jane Gleeson-White
Part mystery, part hostage thriller, this is our fiction pick of the week
Our reviewers assess recent fiction and non-fiction publications.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp