Mzala’s distinctive intellectual contribution combined a sophisticated grasp of revolutionary theory with the reality of ethnic nationalism.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
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With the disastrous effects of climate change already upon us, past events may have lessons for the future.
Neanderthals living in Italy swam confidently and In early Egyptian, Greek and Roman images people are shown swimming overarm. But today, only one in four people in low income countries can swim.
An exceptionally talented writer, Shirley Hazzard is cherished for her novels The Great Fire and The Transit of Venus. Her life defends the right to be unfashionable and the value of learning.
Critic Greil Marcus sees Bob Dylan as constantly rewriting the national songbook. And in his weird, funny new book, Dylan does just that.
Mandela, the first president of a democratic South Africa, made big strategic choices – not necessarily the right ones, but certainly ones that were befitting of the times.
It’s the 20th anniversary of Best Australian Political Cartoons – and it has been quite a year. From Putin to Dutton to Albanese, our cartoonists have been hard at work skewering the powerful.
Donald Trump likes books about as much as he does germs, but more than 100 have been written about him. Journalist Maggie Haberman conducted 250 interviews for hers, including three with Trump.
The mountain climbing industry has transformed the lives of the Sherpas – both for good and bad. A new book focuses on their lives and deeds.
Nights of Plague is set on a fictional island in the early 20th century. Is it an allegory of empire’s fall; a contemplation on corruption and East-West tension or a reflection on pandemic life?
In a series of discussions with journalist Sean O'Hagan, we meet an older, reflective theologically-probing musician, drawn to the Christian qualities of mercy, atonement and forgiveness.
Elizabeth Strout’s novel Oh William! has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Her follow up book takes us inside the head of a small, loving, anxious, slightly neurotic person during lockdown.
A new book explores how birds have adapted to our cities - from nesting in skyscrapers to snatching food - reflecting on the beauty and wildness they bring to urban landscapes.
From partying in California to activism in Australia, Grace Tame refuses to be defined by past traumatic events. The voice of her memoir, writes Camilla Nelson, is irrepressible.
Joyce Carol Oates saw Blonde, her epic novel interrogating the legend of Marilyn Monroe, as ‘my Moby Dick’. Mel Campbell celebrates Oates’ achievement, in the lead-up to the Netflix adaptation.
Four different authors – Sarah Moss, Roddy Doyle, Anne Tyler and Gary Shteyngart – tell four different stories of life in a time of COVID.
Breaking History reads like a dutiful student’s account of ‘what I did on my summer holidays’. But Kushner provides useful insights into the Washington and Middle Eastern policy-making processes.
To his credit, former South African president Thabo Mbeki set up anti-corruption institutions that survived his own efforts to erode them.
Sam Vincent’s new book is a comic portrait of a farming apprenticeship, an interrogation of industrial agriculture and an example of how farmers are connecting with the land’s traditional owners.
Jay Carmichael’s novel explores how Australian same-sex attracted men lived during the repressive period after the end of the second world war. But does it impose present concerns on the past?
Top contributors
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EG Whitlam Research Fellow at the Whitlam Institute, and Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame Australia
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Dean, Graduate Research, University of Canberra
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Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing, The University of Melbourne
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Adjunct professor, University of Technology Sydney
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Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University
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Joanna Mendelssohn is a Friend of The Conversation.
Honorary (Senior Fellow) School of Culture and Communication University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Project Manager, Murdoch University
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Professor, Chair of Australian Literature, The University of Western Australia
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Course coordinator, The University of Queensland
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Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies, Monash University
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Susan Lawler is a Friend of The Conversation.
Associate Professor, Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University
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Professor of Psychology, The University of Melbourne
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Professor (conservation biology), Charles Darwin University
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Personal Chair, Literary Studies, Deakin University
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Professor of History, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University
