Writing the Lives of Writers

Bernadette Brennan, Catharine Lumby and Brigitta Olubas have written about literary greats such as Helen Garner, Gillian Mears, Frank Moorhouse and Shirley Hazzard. They speak with Susan Wyndham about literary biography and the extraordinary privilege of diving into the often-secret lives of writers.

Dr Bernadette Brennan is an academic and researcher in contemporary Australian writing, literature and ethics. She is the author of a number of publications, including a monograph on Brian Castro and two edited collections: Just Words?: Australian Authors Writing for Justice (UQP 2008), and Ethical Investigations: Essays on Australian Literature and Poetics (Vagabond 2008). She has also written A Writing Life: Helen Garner and Her Work. She lives in Sydney.