Cassie McCullagh

A full bookshelf and a number of guests dragging their own book bags behind them.

Let's start to bring them in, Cassie.

All right, well, dragging in arts journalist Martin Portis to the bookshelf.

Hello, Martin.

Hi.

Now, Martin is familiar with these studios as a former presenter on Radio National of shows like Arts Today and Arts National.

How does it feel to be back?

Now, Martin, we've asked you to read a novel for us, The Seventh Cross, that was published in 1942.

But before we get to that, let's talk about the 1940s.

Your mother kept a diary in the 1940s, and it's just been edited and published as a book, Caris, Diary of a Young Girl.

Why?

What's special about her diary?

One of the things that I find really interesting about the extracts from this diary, Martin, is the way in which she's combining these big social movements, political awareness and day-to-day life, which goes against what's often said about diaries.

The presumption is often that they're inward-looking stories of small moments.

But here she says, you know, May 25th,

The Germans are still advancing and people are still sending out dance invitations.

And Richard has signed up papers as a first step to becoming a pilot for the RAAF.

That was in 1940.

Gosh, it's just heartbreaking, isn't it?

But I love the kind of jaunty style that she writes in, you know, June 14, Paris has fallen.