Michaela Kolowski

Colm Tobin's new book is about Thomas Mann writing

and it's called The Magician.

And I think that's going to be a really powerful conversation to hear those two in exchange together.

And we've done that a few times throughout the festival.

We've also got the great Australian memoirist and writer and essayist Alice Poong in conversation with

the American Vietnamese writer Viet Tan Nguyen.

I'm really excited to hear that.

And also the great Michael Robotham, a wonderful Australian crime writer, who was also a journalist, in conversation with James Lee Burke, one of the great writers of our time, who's had a 30, 40 year career, who is very well known for his crime novels as well.

And that's another way just to hear two writers sort of comparing notes, really.

It's like, not eavesdropping, but it's just almost like a mini masterclass for listeners.

So I'm really excited to be bringing that as part of the festival.

So what can you tell us about that one?

Marina Warner, I love the word mythographer.

I wish if I could have my time again, I would train myself in some way that I could, that could be my job title, mythographer.

Yeah, Marina Warner, for people who aren't as familiar with her, is probably the first really great public academic writing about myth and fairy tale.

And she's had a career that's gone on for a number of years.

And she really stepped into a space that was mostly the domain of kind of white classicists looking at archetypes and stories and what we use stories for, but also looking at their heritage.

And she's

even though it can sound a little academic, she's an incredibly lively, funny and engaging writer and speaker.

And she's going to be in conversation with Meredith Lake.