The Book Show

Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham's latest novel Day explores a bromance, Madeleine Gray on writing a funny "sad girl novel" and Jessica Zhan Mei Yu on Sylvia Plath and up-ending the coming of age story.

Wanda Koolmatrie, a member of the Aboriginal stolen generations, discusses the impact of the hoax surrounding her memoir 'My Own Sweet Time'. The podcast explores the publication and reception of the book, the unveiling of the fictional author, and the aftermath of the perpetuated hoax. It also delves into the impact of art and writing hoaxes on indigenous artists and writers.

Pip Williams' follow up to her bestselling novel The Dictionary of Lost Words, Josh Kemp on how bushwalking helps his writing and the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner, Shankari Chandran.

The Helen Demidenko scandal tore the Australian literary community apart in the 1990s. This episode of Fakes and Frauds charts the rise and downfall of Helen Demidenko and the impacts on the book world.  

Is there such thing as an Irish voice in fiction? 

Cannibalism, telepathy and celibacy are just some of the false claims about Australian Aboriginal people that Marlo Morgan made in her 1990s new age hit, Mutant Message Down Under, and this episode of Fakes and Frauds exposes the lies. 

Booker winner Ian McEwan explores his 1960s childhood in his latest novel and reigning Booker winner Paul Lynch on his unflinching dystopian novel set in Ireland.

Find out how to catch a con-artist in this episode of Fakes and Frauds that delves into the fake memoir Forbidden Love by Norma Khouri 20 years after the book was first published. 

Pulitzer Prize winners Barbara Kingsolver and Hernán Diaz discuss their novels about poverty and astronomical wealth. They delve into growing up impoverished, the difficult journey of the protagonist, the taboo around money, immigration experiences and erased histories, and the different locations where the podcast is produced.

Fakes and Frauds is a new series that unpacks famous Australian literary scandals. The first and most recent controversy was the discovery of plagiarism in the work of award winning Australian writer John Hughes. Find out how the plagiarism was uncovered and why it matters.