History
July 23, 2019
When author Judith Kerr passed away on 22 May 2019, there was an outpouring of accolades, obituaries and memories in print, online and across social media. I confess that while her picture book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea and her semi-autobiographical novel, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, were vaguely familiar to me, I’d never […]
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May 21, 2019
Numerous tributes flowing in for Bob Hawke have recalled his response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. As Prime Minister, he allowed Chinese students to stay in Australia, rather than force them back to suffer the consequences of a Chinese government crackdown. I wonder how many lives Hawke’s decision saved, how many young men and […]
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February 19, 2019
Writers in Exile #1: Victor Hugo
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For the past 20 years, my overseas travel has had a distinct cycling flavour, on account of my husband’s Italian heritage, and his obsession with bikes. One day I’ll design a literary tour instead, and visit not only the homes of famous authors, but also the settings of my favourite stories. That trip will have […]
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November 8, 2018
‘Strange as it may seem, the one desire a normal young man had in the year 1915 was to go out to France to get killed. Of course, he did not think of it in those terms, his consuming obsession was to reach the front in time not to miss all the fun.’ These are […]
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October 30, 2018
18 things that happened in 1918
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Earlier this year, I wrote about 18 things I planned to do in 2018. I’m not sure how successful I’ve been (I’m a bit scared to look!) but with the centenary of the First World War’s Armistice Day fast approaching, I’ve turned instead to the events, people, books and films of 1918. While the list […]
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