Christos Tsiolkas

Probably, you know, thinking back at that time, I was probably a bit stoned.

As I was doing it.

But what it allowed me to do was actually, I use the term unlock, is the key for me, the turning of the key was actually listening to the words as I was saying them out loud and realizing that there was something akin to song and poetry in what Patrick White was doing with the aunt story.

And that's what made me think, oh, I think I can get it.

I think I know what I need to do with this book.

The other thing I've got to say, Cassie, too, the book is dedicated to Yaroslav Javier, who was my English teacher when I was in year nine in high school.

And he also took me at the end of high school for English literature.

And he is equally as important in terms of those haltering steps to becoming a good reader because...

He saw that I really loved to read, and he gave me some of the greatest gifts that a teacher can give a young person who loves reading.

He gave me the red and the black Stendhal, which is still one of my favourite novels.

He opened up the world of European literature that I hadn't been – that I didn't really know about.

And so I guess it felt right when I was thinking, who do I dedicate this book to?

Do I dedicate it to someone?

And he had passed away a few years ago, sadly.

But it felt absolutely right that I say thank you to this man who had been instrumental in making me a reader and in making me a reader, making me a writer.

And I think that's, sorry, I've just been interrupting you and I do apologise, but I actually, I guess that's what I would like to say to people about Patrick Wyatt is don't read him through the lens of the dead white male.

I mean, there are critiques we can make and I try and make some of them in the book, but I guess I'm suggesting, or I'm saying in terms of my experience,

understanding him now, is if you want to know what it is to write, if you want to know what it is to tell a story, if you want to actually know what it is to tell an Australian story, please read this man.

He's one of the guides.

Or is that just me?