Australian Books
Revolving doors
There is a curious twist in the montage on the cover of Rodney Tiffen’s Disposable Leaders; a detailed treatise on…
Conspiracy theory
The death of Princess Diana twenty years ago has been the subject of a wealth of conspiracy theories. James Murray’s…
Inbuilt obsolescence
Once upon a time, Australian politics was known for its stability. Long periods of one party or another in office,…
Bankstown lefty
For Paul Keating, there have always been two kinds of politics: ‘high tone’ and ‘low rent’. High tone was to…
Spurred on
‘Old radicals become quietist’ a character in Valley of the Weed tells Plant, the appropriately-named private detective investigating the disappearance…
Best of 2016
After a slow start 2016 turned out to be a pretty good year for Australian writing, with excellent books across…
Up Close and Personal
Chris Mitchell’s memoir of his life as a News Ltd journalist, then as editor, first of Brisbane’s Courier Mail and…
Reds in our beds?
John Blaxland and Rhys Crawley’s The Secret Cold War is the third and – at least for the time being…
Walking the walls of Theodosius
Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Holy Wisdom) in Istanbul is arguably the most important building in our Judeo-Christian tradition.…
Trumped up
If Donald Trump keeps campaigning on immigration, he cannot lose. His Democrat rival for the US presidency, Hillary Clinton, has…
War games
For a long time the Australian military has been very wary about public discussions, so this first book is a…
Tangled web
It was John Howard who famously declared that the government would decide who came to Australia to live and in…
Aussie exceptionalism
It would have once been uncontroversial to suggest nations have characteristics that not only distinguish them from other countries, but…
Aussie exceptionalism
It would have once been uncontroversial to suggest nations have characteristics that not only distinguish them from other countries, but…
White trash
Hillbilly Elegy is an extended meditation on cultural and social capital. It asks seriously – and answers truthfully – this…
A hero recalled
In these times it seems that heroes are acclaimed readily and easily. A single television appearance coupled with a politically…
Slaying sacred cows
It is a measure of Andrew Bolt’s ignominy that it takes a certain courage simply to walk into Dymock’s and…
The sentimental socialist
Having done something similar myself, I wondered how Bill Shorten would handle the challenge of a campaign biography. My book,…
God’s children
Once upon a time, Christianity in Australia was seen as the One True Faith. These days, it is likely to…
Cods wallop
One might hope that as a Hellene, Niki Savva could shed some light on the tragedy of the Abbott government…
Three writers
This ‘documentary’ of the lives and careers of Marcus Clarke, Adam Lindsay Gordon and Henry Kendall presents a detailed account,…
Hat trick
Kipling once wrote a poem lamenting that the three-volume romantic novel (‘The old three-decker’) was said to be extinct. It…
Kerr’s curse
Here it is, yet another book on the Dismissal. The fall of Gough Whitlam in 1975 has created quite a…
Child’s play
In Australia there are tens of thousands of emotionally stable, financially secure but medically infertile people. As much as they…
Fighting back
For anyone looking for a stimulating read this summer, one that bestows a certain sense of rationality on our otherwise…
