Culture
Books
Anne Rice, the author who breathed new life into vampires, dies at 80
Her first novel was the lush, bestselling gothic tale Interview with the Vampire, but Rice would go on to write more than 30 books and sell 150 million copies worldwide.
- by Jake Coyle
Latest
Why Stephen Sondheim leaves a cryptic gap on the world’s puzzle stage
The composer revolutionised puzzle writing as he did the musical. But how to connect in a Melbourne theatre foyer? “Hedonism”, I sang.
- by David Astle
Looking back through a leftist lens to Australia’s tipping point
Guy Rundle’s collected writings lament Australia’s shift away from a progressive, liberal and humane direction.
- by Declan Fry
Diana Reid’s debut sharply questions the virtue of storytelling
Is Eve’s “theft” of another’s uni O-Week experience for the greater good, or an unethical betrayal of trust for personal career gain?
- by Madeleine Gray
Books we loved in 2021: Top authors reveal the best reads of the year
Jonathan Franzen, Helen Garner, Kazuo Ishiguro and other leading writers from home and abroad give thanks for the books that got them through a difficult year.
Books
Literature
Two of the masters of crime deliver two of their best
Michael Connelly and Garry Disher show all their qualities in their latest crime novels.
- by Sue Turnbull
ABC star’s warts-and-all memoir offers a lesson for young dreamers
ABC presenter Paul Kennedy’s memoir touches on masculinity, teen angst, and his self-sabotage of a promising footy career for fear of not proving good enough.
- by Greg Baum
‘Engrossing’: Knausgaard’s new novel looks to the heavens for answers
Karl Ove Knausgaard’s latest novel turns its back on his favourite autofiction and examines the lofty theme of divine judgment.
- by Jack Cameron Stanton
What happened to Paddy? The big mystery puzzling a tiny town
There were only 12 people living in Larrimah when Paddy Moriarty went missing. But no one saw anything and his disappearance remains a mystery.
- by Simon Caterson
Seven books later, a hard-earned thirst for poetry pays off
Adam Aitken, a descendant of the man behind VB, has won the $15,000 Patrick White Award.
- by Jason Steger
Explainer
Real life
Sit up straight! What is the point of table manners?
Don’t put your elbows on the table, don’t talk with your mouth full. Who made up these rules, and what are they for?
- by Felicity Lewis