Peter Cochrane

Peter Cochrane’s novel, The Making of Martin Sparrow (2018), was short-listed for the Voss Literary Prize (2019) and is currently long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award (2020). The novel was also nominated in the Top 5 ‘Best Reads of 2018’ by Kate Evans and by Cassie McCullough, hosts of ‘The Bookshelf’ on ABC Radio National. An Italian language edition was published in 2019. Peter is an Honorary Associate in the School of Philosophical & Historical Inquiry,University of Sydney, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. His first venture into fiction was the novella Governor Bligh and the Short Man (2012) and his most recent work of non-fiction is Best We Forget. The War for White Australia, 1914-18 (2018).

All essays by Peter Cochrane

Essay: Peter Cochraneon writing historical fiction

Switching to Fiction

Since the publication of my novel The Making of Martin Sparrow in 2018 I have often been asked the question ‘What made you turn to fiction?’ This has turned out, usually, to be a question with a sub-text: ‘What made you, a long-time historian, cross over to the other side?’ But whatever form the question takes, my answer is always the same: ‘That’s easy,’ I say, ‘you get to make things up.’ It’s a rejoinder that is nowhere near as liberating as it may sound. Just what is meant by ‘make things up’? And is the writer now free, discharged of all responsibility to history, having gone over to the other side?
Jul. 2020 • • •