Featuring
Nicholas Jose
Nicolas Jose is a novelist, essayist and playwright, whose thirteen books include the novels Paper Nautilus, Avenue of Eternal Peace (shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award), The Custodians (shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize) and Original Face; two short story collections; a volume of essays, Chinese Whispers; and the memoir Black Sheep.
Dr Lynda Ng
Dr Lynda Ng is a Lecturer in World Literature (including Australian Literature) at The University of Melbourne. She is the editor of Indigenous Transnationalism: Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria(2018), and is the recipient of an ARC Discovery Grant for a collaborative project on J. M. Coetzee and the Margaret Church Memorial Prize for the best essay published in MFS: Modern Fiction Studies.
Her research frequently considers Australian literature within a transnational paradigm, touching on the intersection between economics and literature as well as the environmental humanities. She is currently completing a project on Chinese diasporic writing.
Readings
An Australian Girl by Catherine Martin, read by Regina Botros
For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke, read by Tug Dumbly
The Tree of Man by Patrick White, read by Humphrey Bower (with thanks to Audible)
The Middle Parts of Fortune by Frederic Manning, read by Glen Phillips
For Love Alone by Christina Stead, read by Trisha Starrs
Plains of Promise by Alexis Wright, read by Sharni McDermott
Carpentaria by Alexis Wright, read by Isaac Drandich (with thanks to Audible)
Oscar & Lucinda by Peter Carey, read by Steven Crossley (with thanks to Audible)
Farewell My Orange by Iwaki Kei, read by James Jiang
Voss by Patrick White, read by Humphrey Bower (with thanks to Audible)
Further Readings
The Cambridge History of the Australian Novel, edited by David Carter
Indigenous Transnationalism: Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria, edited by Lynda Ng
The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature, edited by Nicholas Jose
Credits
Fully Lit is presented by Anna Funder.
The podcast series is produced, edited and sound designed by Regina Botros.
Sound engineering by Simon Branthwaite.
Executive producers are James Jiang and Sarah Gilbert.
Fully Lit is a co-production between UTS Impact Studios and the Sydney Review of Books, with support from the UTS Writing and Publishing Program.
To cite this episode:
Impact Studios, Botros, R., Gilbert, S., & Jiang, J. (2025, May 15). Fully Lit: a podcast about Australian writing, S2 E1. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15421502
FULLY LIT: A podcast about Australian writing
Brought to you by the Sydney Review of Books, Impact Studios,
and the UTS Writing and Publishing program.
Available to listen now, wherever you get your podcasts
Welcome, or welcome back, to the Sydney Review of Books podcast – now known as Fully Lit.
Fully Lit is a must-listen for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of Australian writing. Across eight episodes, you’ll hear many luminaries of Australian letters, from Anita Heiss to John Kinsella, Nicholas Jose, and Jeanine Leane, discuss topics including the evolution of the Australian novel, the poet’s sense of responsibility, and the critical culture around First Nations writing. The podcast also features readings from old and new classic works by Peter Carey, Alexis Wright, Patrick White, Iwaki Kei, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Natalie Harkin, and more.
This podcast series aims not only to ignite interest in Australian writers and writing; it also aims to illuminate the complexities and oversights in the way that Australian literature is talked about. Through longform discussions, richly sound designed readings, and a wealth of archival material, listeners will come to appreciate Australian literature as they’ve never done before: with a deeper sense of its history, cultural and political contexts, and place in the global publishing landscape.
Join us on this unique journey through the many stories and voices that have helped shape what Australian writing is today.
Fully Lit is brought to you by the Sydney Review of Books, Impact Studios, and the UTS Writing and Publishing program.
Episode 1. The Australian novel and the world
What makes a novel uniquely Australian? How do our stories stack up on the world stage?
Writer, critic and former diplomat Nick Jose joins Oz Lit scholar and literary critic, Lynda Ng, for a deep dive into the Australian novel and its shifting place in global literature.
Through powerful readings from literary giants like Patrick White, Peter Carey, Alexis Wright, and Christina Stead, we ask:
- How has fiction shaped the idea of ‘Australia'?
- How has that idea changed from the nineteenth to the twentieth century?
Episode 2. The Australian novel now
What is the Australian novel today? Is it even a novel?
And what remains of the idea of a national literature once we eschew nationalistic clichés of Aussieness?
Writers Mykaela Saunders and Yumna Kassab join host Lynda Ng to tackle these questions.
With readings from Australian fiction that reveals a literature deeply engaged with the world and with writing beyond our shores.
Episode 3. ‘Cultural Rigour:’ First Nations writing and its critics
What does it really take to read and review First Nations writing with integrity?
Wiradjuri poet and critic Jeanine Leane joins Graham Akhurst for a powerful conversation that turns the spotlight on the critics themselves. With sharp insight and deep cultural knowledge, Jeanine unpacks the idea of “cultural rigour” — and why it’s essential for anyone engaging with Black writing in Australia.
Whether you're a reader, reviewer, or writer, this episode challenges you to rethink what it means to read responsibly — and to listen deeply.
Episode 4. ‘Cognitive Imperialism:’ losing the colonial baggage
Who gets to critique First Nations literature — and how should it be taught?
Novelist Melanie Saward and critic Ben Etherington join writer and academic Graham Akhurst to dive into the complex world of reading, teaching, and evaluating First Nations writing.
From the classroom to the review page, they explore the responsibilities that come with critiquing Indigenous stories — and what’s at stake when they’re misread or misunderstood.
Plus, a powerful intervention from the archive by Alexis Wright.
Episode 5. The Poet and the Bulldozer
How can poetry act upon the world? Hear John Kinsella hold up a bulldozer with a poem, and take a tour through his life as a reader, poet and activist as he and Lisa Gorton delve into the people and poets who influenced him. They discuss the challenges and responsibilities of being a poet, reflecting on the growing threats to our ecosystems and long-postponed colonial reckonings. In this context, what can poetry do, and what are the possibilities and limitations of a future Australian poet laureate?
Episode 6. The Language of Poetry
Award-winning poets Bella Li and Ellen Van Neerven join fellow poet Lisa Gorton for a discussion on poetry, responsibility and poetry’s place in Australian public life. With readings from each poet's work, along with other poems from Australia and beyond, our panelists explore the balance between poetry as a private practice and its public impact, attending to the ways in which poetry can unsettle language, shaping and reshaping our sense of history.