Latest news with #MelbourneWritersFestival
The Age
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
An election and wild weather couldn't stop our most isolated writers festival
When Marcus Zusak came to Margaret River in 2000 to do a library reading from his first novel, nobody turned up. The librarian made him do the reading anyway. Twenty-five years later, when The Book Thief author returned, he was in a big theatre full of readers. 'It's amazing to us that you're still out there,' he said to his audience. 'It gives me hope. I feel like I'm looking at the last bastion of civilisation.' These last bastions crop up everywhere. In May alone we've seen events such as the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival, the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Writers Festival, with the Sydney Writers Festival due to start on Monday. I attended the 17th Margaret River festival, in the southwestern corner of Australia, possibly the most isolated literary gathering in the world. That isolation, plus a federal election and wild weather, failed to stop a record crowd of more than 7000 watching more than 50 writers, including Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey, Booker finalist Charlotte Wood, feminist icon turned crime writer Jane Caro and bestselling Irish novelist Marian Keyes. The theme of the festival was 'the universe is made not of atoms but of stories'. Nobody actually agreed with this – of course the universe is made of atoms! – but Samantha Harvey put us in a humble cosmic mood with a reading from her novel Orbital evoking the vision of the universe as a calendar year, where humankind emerges in the last blink before midnight on New Year's Eve. British philosopher A. C. Grayling, billed as 'the rock star professor', said he went to bed with Jane Austen every Easter, and went on to analyse the philosophy of Pride and Prejudice. He wanted us to rescue the much-derided term 'woke' and wear it with pride. But he wasn't quite so keen on cancel culture: 'You should hear what they have to say, so you can challenge it.' And he revealed he'd been banned from Twitter 'by that defender of freedom of expression, Elon Musk'. Hannah Kent told us about her tough time as an exchange student in Iceland, the inspiration for her novel Burial Rites. She was brave enough to try the disgusting local delicacy, rotten shark meat. Another time she found herself in a mysterious meeting of Icelanders who decided she could be their slave and sweep up the blood. Fortunately, the blood was fake: they were actors in a play. Peter Godwin's memoir was full of distress, secrets and surprising humour. At the age of 90, his mother took to her bed for no apparent medical reason and began to let loose with uninhibited jibes, all spoken in a brand new frightfully posh voice.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
An election and wild weather couldn't stop our most isolated writers festival
When Marcus Zusak came to Margaret River in 2000 to do a library reading from his first novel, nobody turned up. The librarian made him do the reading anyway. Twenty-five years later, when The Book Thief author returned, he was in a big theatre full of readers. 'It's amazing to us that you're still out there,' he said to his audience. 'It gives me hope. I feel like I'm looking at the last bastion of civilisation.' These last bastions crop up everywhere. In May alone we've seen events such as the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival, the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Writers Festival, with the Sydney Writers Festival due to start on Monday. I attended the 17th Margaret River festival, in the southwestern corner of Australia, possibly the most isolated literary gathering in the world. That isolation, plus a federal election and wild weather, failed to stop a record crowd of more than 7000 watching more than 50 writers, including Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey, Booker finalist Charlotte Wood, feminist icon turned crime writer Jane Caro and bestselling Irish novelist Marian Keyes. The theme of the festival was 'the universe is made not of atoms but of stories'. Nobody actually agreed with this – of course the universe is made of atoms! – but Samantha Harvey put us in a humble cosmic mood with a reading from her novel Orbital evoking the vision of the universe as a calendar year, where humankind emerges in the last blink before midnight on New Year's Eve. British philosopher A. C. Grayling, billed as 'the rock star professor', said he went to bed with Jane Austen every Easter, and went on to analyse the philosophy of Pride and Prejudice. He wanted us to rescue the much-derided term 'woke' and wear it with pride. But he wasn't quite so keen on cancel culture: 'You should hear what they have to say, so you can challenge it.' And he revealed he'd been banned from Twitter 'by that defender of freedom of expression, Elon Musk'. Hannah Kent told us about her tough time as an exchange student in Iceland, the inspiration for her novel Burial Rites. She was brave enough to try the disgusting local delicacy, rotten shark meat. Another time she found herself in a mysterious meeting of Icelanders who decided she could be their slave and sweep up the blood. Fortunately, the blood was fake: they were actors in a play. Peter Godwin's memoir was full of distress, secrets and surprising humour. At the age of 90, his mother took to her bed for no apparent medical reason and began to let loose with uninhibited jibes, all spoken in a brand new frightfully posh voice.
Sydney Morning Herald
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Unending struggle to make a better world was much valued
RACE MATHEWS March 27, 1935-May 5, 2025 My beloved husband Race Mathews died peacefully on May 5, 2025, from Alzheimer's disease, aged 90. He had a rich and fulfilling life as a family man, politician, academic, author and reformer, and served at three levels of government – local, state and federal. Charles Race Thorson Mathews (known as Race) was born on March 27, 1935, in Melbourne to Ray Mathews, an accountant in the taxation department, and Jean Mathews, a homemaker. They came from a long line of working-class families and were passionate Labor supporters. Race had a very happy childhood, with two younger brothers, David and Bill. Race began his political awakening by reading left-wing books in the library of Melbourne Grammar School and participating in the school's mock parliament. At Toorak Teachers' College he met his first wife, Jill, and married at 20. They had three children, Sean, Jane and Vanessa and moved to outer-suburban Croydon, where Race served on Croydon council, as well as becoming active in the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and running the Fabian Society. With his friend David Bennett, he developed Labor's policy on education and helped Gough Whitlam bring about 'Intervention' (reform) in the Victorian ALP in 1970. From 1967 to 1972, Race worked for Whitlam as his principal private secretary, (principal adviser) which he later said was 'the most tumultuous, and by far the most rewarding' time of his career, when he helped develop Whitlam's policies on education and Medibank (later Medicare). In 1970, tragedy struck when Jill died of cancer aged only 34, soon after giving birth to a daughter, Alida, who lived for only 24 hours. Race's parents moved in to help care for the three children, who were still very young. Race and I met in 1971 when I was a journalist at The Age, and we were married in 1972. A few months later, Whitlam became prime minister, and Race was elected MP for Casey. He served in the Whitlam government from 1972-75, chairing two parliamentary committees. During that time, we had two children, Keir and Talya. In 1976, Race became principal adviser to Victorian opposition leader Clyde Holding and then Frank Wilkes. In 1979, Race was elected MP for Oakleigh in the State Parliament and in 1982 Labor won government with John Cain as premier. Race served in the Victorian government for a total of 13 years, including five-and-a-half years as minister for police and emergency services and minister for the arts (which The Age dubbed 'the Minister for Pigs and Prigs'), and one year as minister for community services. While minister for police and emergency services, he modernised the police force, tightened gun laws and improved Victoria's disaster response, especially after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. As minister for the arts, he opened the Arts Centre on Southbank, established the Spoleto International Festival of the Arts, the Melbourne Writers Festival and oversaw Victoria's 150th celebrations. His two portfolios of police and arts overlapped in 1986, with the theft of Picasso's Weeping Woman from the National Gallery of Victoria by the Australian Cultural Terrorists, who wanted more funding for young artists. The painting was returned two weeks later unharmed. As Minister for Community Services, he strengthened child protection and oversaw de-institutionalisation of the intellectually disabled.
The Age
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Unending struggle to make a better world was much valued
RACE MATHEWS March 27, 1935-May 5, 2025 My beloved husband Race Mathews died peacefully on May 5, 2025, from Alzheimer's disease, aged 90. He had a rich and fulfilling life as a family man, politician, academic, author and reformer, and served at three levels of government – local, state and federal. Charles Race Thorson Mathews (known as Race) was born on March 27, 1935, in Melbourne to Ray Mathews, an accountant in the taxation department, and Jean Mathews, a homemaker. They came from a long line of working-class families and were passionate Labor supporters. Race had a very happy childhood, with two younger brothers, David and Bill. Race began his political awakening by reading left-wing books in the library of Melbourne Grammar School and participating in the school's mock parliament. At Toorak Teachers' College he met his first wife, Jill, and married at 20. They had three children, Sean, Jane and Vanessa and moved to outer-suburban Croydon, where Race served on Croydon council, as well as becoming active in the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and running the Fabian Society. With his friend David Bennett, he developed Labor's policy on education and helped Gough Whitlam bring about 'Intervention' (reform) in the Victorian ALP in 1970. From 1967 to 1972, Race worked for Whitlam as his principal private secretary, (principal adviser) which he later said was 'the most tumultuous, and by far the most rewarding' time of his career, when he helped develop Whitlam's policies on education and Medibank (later Medicare). In 1970, tragedy struck when Jill died of cancer aged only 34, soon after giving birth to a daughter, Alida, who lived for only 24 hours. Race's parents moved in to help care for the three children, who were still very young. Race and I met in 1971 when I was a journalist at The Age, and we were married in 1972. A few months later, Whitlam became prime minister, and Race was elected MP for Casey. He served in the Whitlam government from 1972-75, chairing two parliamentary committees. During that time, we had two children, Keir and Talya. In 1976, Race became principal adviser to Victorian opposition leader Clyde Holding and then Frank Wilkes. In 1979, Race was elected MP for Oakleigh in the State Parliament and in 1982 Labor won government with John Cain as premier. Race served in the Victorian government for a total of 13 years, including five-and-a-half years as minister for police and emergency services and minister for the arts (which The Age dubbed 'the Minister for Pigs and Prigs'), and one year as minister for community services. While minister for police and emergency services, he modernised the police force, tightened gun laws and improved Victoria's disaster response, especially after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. As minister for the arts, he opened the Arts Centre on Southbank, established the Spoleto International Festival of the Arts, the Melbourne Writers Festival and oversaw Victoria's 150th celebrations. His two portfolios of police and arts overlapped in 1986, with the theft of Picasso's Weeping Woman from the National Gallery of Victoria by the Australian Cultural Terrorists, who wanted more funding for young artists. The painting was returned two weeks later unharmed. As Minister for Community Services, he strengthened child protection and oversaw de-institutionalisation of the intellectually disabled.
The Advertiser
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
The social media-hating philosopher relishing his X ban
Philosopher AC Grayling revels in being banned from social media platform X because his latest book is all about cancel culture. "How about that? I mean, that is so ironic it's almost unbelievable," he said. "Elon Musk, the great would-be champion of free speech, has cancelled me on Twitter!" Grayling was blocked in February - he suspects over a repost - as his book Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars was about to hit bookshelves worldwide. An author of more than 30 books, Grayling holds positions at both Northeastern University London and St Anne's College in Oxford University. He's in Australia in May, having appeared at the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival with Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle writers' festivals to come. But unlike most authors, Grayling won't be promoting these events on social media. As well as being blocked on the Musk-owned X, he admits to having forgotten his Facebook password. What's more, he argues social media is toxic and has been harmful to democracies around the world. It's all part of his analysis of the culture wars, which he explains go back to ancient times - the word ostracism can be traced to ancient Greek - because tribalism is simply the flip side of community. "The whole of history is about one group trying to cancel another group - that's what a war is," he said. From political correctness to wokeness, Grayling views contemporary culture wars as fundamentally about human rights and fairness, and fighting against sexism, racism and homophobia. "People who are in positions of privilege don't want other people to have a fair share because they think they will lose their hold on the levers of privilege," he said. Australia's book festival scene has had to contend with these culture wars in recent years, with donations withdrawn from events and staff and board members quitting over issues such as the Gaza conflict. With the patience of a philosopher, Grayling sees writers' festivals as an opportunity for rational debate, but he adds it's understandable that people occasionally get riled up. He interprets Australia's federal election, which resulted in a Labor triumph, as a move away from the culture wars the nation's politicians have indulged in over the past decade. "It's maybe a step in the right direction, towards bringing the culture wars to a more peaceful conclusion." Grayling appears at the Melbourne Writers Festival, which began on Saturday, followed by the Sydney Writers' Festival, held from May 19-27, and a special Newcastle Writers Festival event on May 20. Philosopher AC Grayling revels in being banned from social media platform X because his latest book is all about cancel culture. "How about that? I mean, that is so ironic it's almost unbelievable," he said. "Elon Musk, the great would-be champion of free speech, has cancelled me on Twitter!" Grayling was blocked in February - he suspects over a repost - as his book Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars was about to hit bookshelves worldwide. An author of more than 30 books, Grayling holds positions at both Northeastern University London and St Anne's College in Oxford University. He's in Australia in May, having appeared at the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival with Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle writers' festivals to come. But unlike most authors, Grayling won't be promoting these events on social media. As well as being blocked on the Musk-owned X, he admits to having forgotten his Facebook password. What's more, he argues social media is toxic and has been harmful to democracies around the world. It's all part of his analysis of the culture wars, which he explains go back to ancient times - the word ostracism can be traced to ancient Greek - because tribalism is simply the flip side of community. "The whole of history is about one group trying to cancel another group - that's what a war is," he said. From political correctness to wokeness, Grayling views contemporary culture wars as fundamentally about human rights and fairness, and fighting against sexism, racism and homophobia. "People who are in positions of privilege don't want other people to have a fair share because they think they will lose their hold on the levers of privilege," he said. Australia's book festival scene has had to contend with these culture wars in recent years, with donations withdrawn from events and staff and board members quitting over issues such as the Gaza conflict. With the patience of a philosopher, Grayling sees writers' festivals as an opportunity for rational debate, but he adds it's understandable that people occasionally get riled up. He interprets Australia's federal election, which resulted in a Labor triumph, as a move away from the culture wars the nation's politicians have indulged in over the past decade. "It's maybe a step in the right direction, towards bringing the culture wars to a more peaceful conclusion." Grayling appears at the Melbourne Writers Festival, which began on Saturday, followed by the Sydney Writers' Festival, held from May 19-27, and a special Newcastle Writers Festival event on May 20. Philosopher AC Grayling revels in being banned from social media platform X because his latest book is all about cancel culture. "How about that? I mean, that is so ironic it's almost unbelievable," he said. "Elon Musk, the great would-be champion of free speech, has cancelled me on Twitter!" Grayling was blocked in February - he suspects over a repost - as his book Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars was about to hit bookshelves worldwide. An author of more than 30 books, Grayling holds positions at both Northeastern University London and St Anne's College in Oxford University. He's in Australia in May, having appeared at the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival with Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle writers' festivals to come. But unlike most authors, Grayling won't be promoting these events on social media. As well as being blocked on the Musk-owned X, he admits to having forgotten his Facebook password. What's more, he argues social media is toxic and has been harmful to democracies around the world. It's all part of his analysis of the culture wars, which he explains go back to ancient times - the word ostracism can be traced to ancient Greek - because tribalism is simply the flip side of community. "The whole of history is about one group trying to cancel another group - that's what a war is," he said. From political correctness to wokeness, Grayling views contemporary culture wars as fundamentally about human rights and fairness, and fighting against sexism, racism and homophobia. "People who are in positions of privilege don't want other people to have a fair share because they think they will lose their hold on the levers of privilege," he said. Australia's book festival scene has had to contend with these culture wars in recent years, with donations withdrawn from events and staff and board members quitting over issues such as the Gaza conflict. With the patience of a philosopher, Grayling sees writers' festivals as an opportunity for rational debate, but he adds it's understandable that people occasionally get riled up. He interprets Australia's federal election, which resulted in a Labor triumph, as a move away from the culture wars the nation's politicians have indulged in over the past decade. "It's maybe a step in the right direction, towards bringing the culture wars to a more peaceful conclusion." Grayling appears at the Melbourne Writers Festival, which began on Saturday, followed by the Sydney Writers' Festival, held from May 19-27, and a special Newcastle Writers Festival event on May 20. Philosopher AC Grayling revels in being banned from social media platform X because his latest book is all about cancel culture. "How about that? I mean, that is so ironic it's almost unbelievable," he said. "Elon Musk, the great would-be champion of free speech, has cancelled me on Twitter!" Grayling was blocked in February - he suspects over a repost - as his book Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars was about to hit bookshelves worldwide. An author of more than 30 books, Grayling holds positions at both Northeastern University London and St Anne's College in Oxford University. He's in Australia in May, having appeared at the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival with Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle writers' festivals to come. But unlike most authors, Grayling won't be promoting these events on social media. As well as being blocked on the Musk-owned X, he admits to having forgotten his Facebook password. What's more, he argues social media is toxic and has been harmful to democracies around the world. It's all part of his analysis of the culture wars, which he explains go back to ancient times - the word ostracism can be traced to ancient Greek - because tribalism is simply the flip side of community. "The whole of history is about one group trying to cancel another group - that's what a war is," he said. From political correctness to wokeness, Grayling views contemporary culture wars as fundamentally about human rights and fairness, and fighting against sexism, racism and homophobia. "People who are in positions of privilege don't want other people to have a fair share because they think they will lose their hold on the levers of privilege," he said. Australia's book festival scene has had to contend with these culture wars in recent years, with donations withdrawn from events and staff and board members quitting over issues such as the Gaza conflict. With the patience of a philosopher, Grayling sees writers' festivals as an opportunity for rational debate, but he adds it's understandable that people occasionally get riled up. He interprets Australia's federal election, which resulted in a Labor triumph, as a move away from the culture wars the nation's politicians have indulged in over the past decade. "It's maybe a step in the right direction, towards bringing the culture wars to a more peaceful conclusion." Grayling appears at the Melbourne Writers Festival, which began on Saturday, followed by the Sydney Writers' Festival, held from May 19-27, and a special Newcastle Writers Festival event on May 20.
