Books I Wish I’d Written

Where

When

Thursday, 22 Oct 2015, 06:15pm - 07:15pm

Event Status

Past event

The literary world is famous for its bitter feuds: Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, V.S. Naipaul and Paul Theroux. Professional jealousy is often at the heart of literary rivalries – and these rivalries can be toxic indeed. In the case of Vidal and Mailer, the feud was so toxic it eventuated in a notorious punch-up.

But a healthy rivalry can be a strong motivational tool – as the saying goes, envy aims high. In this discussion hosted by Stephanie Convery, our panel of (hopefully) peace-loving writers will broach an uncomfortable issue from a civilised, non-combative perspective, revealing the books they wish they’d written and why.

We’ll also explore some broader questions on the topic: Is the green-eyed monster more prevalent in the literary world than in other fields? Are envy and admiration two sides of the same coin? And what are the differences between artistic and commercial literary jealousy?

Featuring

Featuring

Stephanie Convery

Stephanie Convery is a Melbourne-based writer and the deputy editor of Overland magazine. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Meanjin, The Lifted Brow, ABC’s The Drum, the Big Issue, and other local and international publications. ... Read more

@gingerandhoney

Ramona Koval

Ramona Koval is a writer who has worked as a journalist and broadcaster. Her most recent books are A Letter to Layla: Travels to our Deep Past and Near Future, Bloodhound: Searching For My Father, and By the Book: A Reader’s Guide to Life (all published by Text). She was the editor of two volumes ... Read more

@ramonakoval

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Shane Maloney

Born in Hamilton in western Victoria in 1953, Shane Maloney is one of Australia’s most popular novelists. His award-winning and much-loved Murray Whelan series – Stiff, The Brush-Off, Nice Try, The Big Ask, Something Fishy and Sucked In – has been published around the world. In 1996, The B... Read more

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Sonya Tsakalakis

Sonya is a bibliotherapist with The School of Life and this year was part of the Melbourne Writers Festival, offering bibliotherapy taster sessions in the Dumbo Feather Caravan. Sonya also leads shared reading circles in community settings and hosts literary salons as part of her social en... Read more

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