Dispatch #027

SUNBAKER: We were thrilled to hear that Helen Ennis's biography of photographer Max Dupain had won the $25,000 National Biography Award. Probably everyone knows Dupain’s most famous work, Sunbaker (above), which was taken not at Bondi but at Culburra in 1937. Ennis’s biography, published by HarperCollins, was praised by judges as an “intricate portrait” of the iconic Australian photographer, exploring “the complexities and contradictions of the man, while examining the sources of his creativity.” Bravo!

UKRAINE: In this Guardian story on Ukraine, 10 million books were destroyed during Russian airstrikes in July and August. Ukraine is now appealing for international assistance to rebuild its supply of books:

The Ukrainian Book Institute has called on the international publishing community to support Ukrainian publishers after Russian attacks in July and early August destroyed about 10 million books and a significant share of the country’s book production capacity. A major attack on 1 August hit warehouses belonging to the RNK-Ranok publishing group in Kharkiv, destroying approximately 8 million books, following July attacks in Kyiv which led to the loss of more than 1.5m books. In all, the recent attacks have led to the destruction of approximately 30 per cent of the volume of books produced annually in Ukraine.

WILD THINGS: The spring school holidays are almost upon us, and if you have little ones, you will be looking for things to do, so why not see something at the Sydney Opera House? Like maybe ZOOOM? The Australian Patch Theatre will take kids on an imaginary adventure through the universe, inspired by the beloved children’s book Harold and the Purple Crayon.

PM LIT AWARDS: The shortlists for the 2026 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced. These are the richest prizes in the nation, and those in contention include these wonderful books:

Fiction:

• A Piece of Red Cloth – Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga and Djawundil Maymuru

• Arborescence – Rhett Davis

• In the Name of the Trees – Merlinda Bobis

• Out of the Woods – Gretchen Shirm

• The Immigrants: Fabula Mirabilis, or A Wonderful Story – Moreno Giovannoni

Non-fiction:

• Blue Poles: Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the Painting that Changed a Nation – Tom McIlroy

• Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath – S. Shakthidharan

• Terraglossia – Dr Debra Dank

• The Red House – Kate Wild

• What Artists See – Quentin Sprague

LONDON: If you happen to be in England in October, don’t miss the inaugural OzLit Festival on Charing Cross Road. The line-up features Alexis Wright, Santilla Chingaipe, Heather Morris, Kathy Lette, Evie Wyld, Intan Paramaditha, Lucia Osborne-Crowley and Laura Elizabeth Woollett, spanning fiction, history, memoir and more. Four-time Miles Franklin Award winner and twice Booker Prize-shortlisted Tim Winton will open the festival in an exclusive conversation livestreamed from Western Australia. Most others will be in person. Hooray!

I Can’t Tell You But I Will by Magda Szubanski: the second memoir from a beloved Australian icon of TV and cinema follows Magda’s journey from daughter to orphan, from comedian to campaigner.

The Everywhere Train by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell: a lovely new children’s book about a boy and his grandpa, from the creators of the massive hit, The Truck Cat.

Remembering Elysha by Paul Folino Gallo: a Sydney-based barrister and father of two on the sudden death of his wife, single parenting in her absence, and grief.

Mire by Matt Nable: From the bestselling author of Still, a compelling and cinematic crime thriller that takes us from Sydney to New York in the 1980s.

John Longmire by John Longmire: Would the crisis now engulfing the Swans have happened under the old coach, who retired last year? He was a superb leader, and he has many thoughts on the importance of ethical leadership.

We are close to selling out many of these. There are just so many important conversations to have! Join us; we’d love to see you:

Dr Norman Swan, An Evening with the Author, Wednesday 2nd of September: Join us as Dr Norman Swan sits down with Fran Kelly to discuss his latest book ‘The Brain Cliff’ at Paddington Uniting Church. Click here for tickets.

Holly Ringland, An Evening with the Author, Monday 7th of September: Join Holly Ringland, in conversation with Michaela Kalowski, to celebrate the release of her new novel ‘The World Beneath Her Feet’ at Paddington Uniting Church. Click here for tickets.

Annabelle Chauncy, An Evening with the Author, Tuesday 15th of September: Join Annabelle Chauncy as she discusses her new book School for Life at Gertrude & Alice. Click here for tickets.

Joshua Hortinela, An Evening with the Author, Wednesday 16th of September: Join Joshua Hortinela in conversation to celebrate the release of his debut novel, Hate You to Love You at Gertrude & Alice. Click here for tickets.

Megan Dalla-Camina, An Evening with the Author, Thursday 17th of September: Join us for an evening with the author, Megan Dalla-Camina, in conversation with Alison Brahe Daddo, to celebrate the release of her new book, ‘She Who Remembers’ at Gertrude & Alice. Click here for tickets.

And that’s all for today, folks! Thank you for reading, and please do forward our newsletter to your friends so that we can build our community here.

Have something you’d like to include? Bondi local Caroline Overington compiles our newsletter. You can follow her on Instagram or Facebook, or get in touch here if you’ve got news to share.