Big Reads
Writing on the world In an age of global uncertainty, travel writing needs to move beyond the old tourist spiel, or lose relevance. Read more |
|
 |
Paperbackpackers They’re cashedup layabouts, bashed-up by public opinion and washed-up in Bondi. Now, as Barry Divola tells, the modern backpacker is caught in print. Read more |
Carr bungle Australia’s leading authors have slammed former Premier Bob Carr for his scathing attack on contemporary Australian fiction. Read more |
|
 |
The Candy man can Luke Davies’ mum says he’s like Britney Spears – airing his dirty laundry in public. Read more |
A question of scale The day I found out I had a brain tumour I cried for hours. Read more |
The stories so far … Earthlings must seek out the secrets of life on Mars and other planets to see if they hold the key to human survival and learn how to leave Earth before it’s destroyed, astronomer Dr Fred Watson advises. Read more |
Foolproof recipes for publishing success Budding food writers should avoid tasty adjectives, warns Sydney Morning Herald food columnist Helen Greenwood. Read more |
Seas of change The environment is a greenhot topic in the Australian publishing scene, although more books mean fewer trees. Read more |
Signature styles There’s a scene in the film National Treasure 2 where author Riley Poole peeks out hopefully from behind stacks of books at his own book signing. Read more |
Designer jackets Once a year publishers agree that you can judge a book by its cover with the annual Book Design Awards. Read more |
What a classic - Our literary canon under fire Literature scholar Jane Gleeson-White has denied her book Australian Classics aims to define the literary canon, after writer Christos Tsiolkas attacked Australian canons for neglecting multicultural voices. Read more |
Food from near and pho A whole world of gastronomic adventure lies just 25 minutes from the heart of the city. Read more |
On the frontiers Speculative fiction and fantasy novels are often overlooked at festivals. Despite the commercial success of the genre, it plays a limited role in the scope of the wider literary industry. Read more |
Dead certain After suffering a lifelong addiction to household guides, Debra Adelaide decided to pen her own – but there would be no advice on banal problems like losing weight or mastering tantric sex. Read more |
Can't buy happiness If Australia has the third-highest standard of living in the world why does it rank so low on the happiness index? Read more |